(Re)United
by PhoenixReign
Summary: Sonya was just an ordinary herbalist. She knew what she wanted to at was until she met Obi. After becoming close she now decides she wants to be more than just an herbalist. But what happens when her and Obi get separated? Will her new path lead her back to him?
1. Chapter 1

She started out as just an herbalist in the mountains of Tanbarun. Her parents owned a small pharmacy where they treated people of minor injuries and illnesses. Her name was Sonya Rosse, she was fairly young when she started working at her parent's shop, but she loved it. During her free time, she would read encyclopedia's containing different herbs and would often go foraging in the forest for herbs to add to her collection. Today her parents were running low on herbs, so she decided to go pick some in the herb gardens in the neighboring town. She wore her blue dress with a beige hood and carried her brown messenger bag that she usually carries her herbs in. on her way there she saw boy leaned up against the tree with blood dripping from his arm. Sonya approached him with caution since she didn't know who he was.

"Are you okay?" She asked a little worried. The boy looked up at her wincing in pain as he held his upper arm.

"Yeah I'm fine. It's just a scratch" he said.

"Well judging by the blood dripping down your arm I'd say it's more than just a scratch." Sonya commented. "I happen to have a first aid kit with me. Do you mind if I take a look at your arm?" She asked.

"No need, I'll be fine" he responded as he continued to hold his arm.

"Are you sure? The look on your face says otherwise." She commented a little skeptical.

"Alright fine, you win. Go ahead." He said. Sonya smiled at him as she took her bag off and knelt down next to him.

"Do you mind taking your arm out of your sleeve, so I can get a better look?" She requested.

"Oh, right sorry" he said as he pulled his arm out of his sleeve. Sonya took out her first aid kit and opened it taking out a small bottle of medicine and a cloth. She put some of the medicine on the cloth then dabbed it on the wound on his arm to clean it up.

"I should probably introduce myself, I'm Sonya" She introduced as she continued to clean his injury.

"The name's Obi" he introduced as he watched her work on him.

"Well Obi despite the circumstances it's nice to meet you" She commented with a giggle. Obi chuckled at the comment. Sonya put down the cloth and grabbed a band-aid with some anti-bacterial ointment on it and placed it over the wound. "Lucky for you the cut wasn't too deep so it should heal nicely. There should be little to no scarring" She stated. Obi put his arm back in his sleeve.

"Thanks, it actually feels better now" Obi commented.

"Well I'm glad you feel better now" Sonya commented.

"So, what were you doing walking through the forest by yourself anyways?" Obi asked.

"I was going to the herb garden in the next town over to pick some herbs for my parents. They run a pharmacy back in the mountains" she replied.

"Well as thanks I'd be happy to escort you to the herb garden" Obi offered.

"Thanks, but you don't have to. I'll be fine on my own" Sonya responded.

"Please, I insist. This area can be dangerous with all the bandits lurking around, wouldn't want you to get hurt as well" Obi stated. Sonya thought about it for a second. She knew he was right and she didn't have anything that would be useful in defending herself.

"Alright I guess It would be nice to have some company" Sonya replied taking him up on his offer. She grabbed her bag from the ground and hung it across her body. The two walked along making their way to the herb garden.

"So if your parents own a pharmacy. How come you guys don't have your own herb garden?" Obi questioned.

"We do, it's just that we ran out of some herbs that we need and the ones in the garden aren't ready to be harvested yet. We have a friend that owns an herb garden in the town that we're going to and they let us pick herbs if we need them" She explained.

"Oh I see. I guess that makes sense then" Obi commented.

"So what were you doing out here? How did you get hurt earlier?" Sonya asked looking at Obi with curiosity.

"It's a long story" he replied.

"It's a secret isn't it?" She questioned. Obi turned his head and looked at her.

"That obvious huh?" Obi commented with a small chuckle.

"Well it would explain why you're being so vague about it and the fact that you didn't even look me in the eyes until just now. It's fine though, if you don't want to tell me then I won't force you to. It's none of my business anyways" She responded as she looked forward.

"You're pretty observant" he told her as a compliment.

"Well as an herbalist I kind of have to be" she commented in response. The two carried on a conversation often changing the subject. They eventually reached the town where the herb garden was located. Sonya thanked Obi for escorting her.

"I appreciate you coming with me Obi and if you're ever in the Mountains of Tanbarun you can always stop by the shop for a visit" She expressed with a smile.

"Thanks, maybe one day" he responded. He waved to her before taking his leave. Sonya waved back to him before she entered the garden to collect her herbs. Part of her hoped that this wouldn't be the only time she saw him.


	2. Chapter 2

It has been a month now since Sonya met Obi. Unfortunately, she hasn't seen him since then. Her parents went on a trip to find new herbs to make medicine with. Sonya stayed home to manage the shop while her parents were gone. Business was slow, so Sonya took the free time to do some cleaning. She tied her hair back and grabbed the ladder from the storage room, so she could reach the top shelves. She climbed up the ladder with a duster in her hand to dust off the shelves that collected so much dust over time. As she was dusting off the shelf she heard the door open.

She turned her head to see who came into the shop. She was surprised to see it was Obi.

"Hey miss Sonya. How's it going?" Obi greeted.

"Obi?!" She said with surprise. In the moment of shock, she lost her balance and fell off the ladder. Obi managed to catch her.

"Woah careful now. Are you okay?" Obi asked as he help steady her on her feet.

"Uh yeah, I'm fine. You just caught me by surprise that's all." She told him.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." He responded.

"No worries. So anyways, what are you doing here?" She questioned.

"Well you said I could visit if I was ever in the mountains" Obi replied.

"Oh yeah right. Sorry it's been over a month since I saw you I forgot about that." she commented.

"So this is the pharmacy your parents own?" Obi asked as he took a look around.

"Yeah, they went on a trip to discover new herbs. So, I have the whole shop to myself for a while." She mentioned. "Anyways I was planning on making dinner. Do you want to stay and eat with me?" She then offered.

"That depends, got anything spicy?" Obi asked in response.

"Of course, I do. Peppers have some medicinal properties, so I grow my own peppers in the garden. Lucky for you I just harvested the really spicy ones this morning" she told him. After hearing that Obi agreed to stay for dinner. She escorted Obi upstairs to her house and into the kitchen. Sonya's mother loved cooking spicy dishes, so she looked up a recipe in her mom's cookbook that she thought Obi would enjoy. When she finally found the perfect dish to make she gathered all the ingredients and began preparing the meal. As she was cooking Obi watched from over her shoulder.

"Need any help?" Obi offered. Sonya shook her head as she chopped up the peppers and other vegetables.

"No, I'm good. You can go make yourself comfortable if you want" She said to him. Obi did just that and went in the living room and sat down on the couch. She assembled her entrée and placed it in the oven to bake. While she waited she joined Obi in the living room.

"So, what have you been doing since the last time I saw you?" she inquired.

"Just getting work done." Obi stated in response.

"What do you do anyways?" She asked.

"It's a secret" he replied. Sonya sighed knowing that was the answer he was going to give her. Then she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, how's your arm doing by the way? Did it heal alright?" She asked looking at him with curiosity.

"It healed awhile ago. Whatever you used on me did the trick. It didn't even leave a scar." Obi told her.

"Good, I'm glad" Sonya said with a smile. A few minutes later dinner was ready, and both sat at the table in the kitchen. "This dish doesn't have a name, but it's my mom's recipe and it's so spicy it's guaranteed to burn your mouth" she stated as she served him a plate of food.

"I can't wait to eat it then" Obi said as he took a bite. "Wow, this is actually really good. It's one of the spiciest meals I've ever had." He complimented with a mouth full of food.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but could you please not talk with your mouth full. It's kinda gross" Sonya mentioned with a teasing giggle. Obi quickly swallowed his food in response.

"Sorry about that." He commented. After awhile the two finished their meal. Sonya cleaned up the dishes while Obi was back in the living room sitting on the couch. After drying up the last plate Sonya joined him in the living room. She sat next to him on the couch.

"So, there's another reason why I came here, other than your invite" Obi stated without making eye contact. Sonya looked at him confused.

"What is it?" She inquired.

"Well I plan on competing in some tournaments and was wondering if you would want come with me incase I get injured" Obi asked her. Sonya still looked at him confused. "What? Did I say something wrong?" Obi then asked noticing her expression when he looked at her.

"No, I'm just confused. You won't tell me what you do for a living and, yet you want me to come with you, so I can watch you fight in tournaments then give you medical treatment in between." She stated trying to understand him.

"Okay I'll make a promise to you. If you come with me then I'll tell you the truth about what I do" Obi negotiated. Sonya thought about it for a second. It would be nice if she knew whom she was getting involved with.

"You promise?" She asked skeptical. Obi nodded his head with a smirk on his face.

"Alright fine. I'll go with you" she then told him with a smile on her face. Obi was actually surprised that she agreed. "But just because I'm coming to aid you when you're injured doesn't mean you can be reckless so keep that in mind" she then retorted. Obi chuckled in response.

"Don't worry. I'm not the type to be reckless. I just like being prepared that's all" Obi commented in response. Sonya decided to call it a night since she grew tired. Obi told her where to meet her tomorrow before he took his leave. Sonya said good bye to him as she watched him walk away. Even though she barely knew him, part of her was excited to go on this trip with him.


	3. Chapter 3

For a few weeks Sonya has accompanied Obi as he competed in fighting tournaments across the Kingdom of Tanbarun. She would watch from the sidelines as each match took place. When it was Obi's turn she would cheer him on. Before entering these tournaments, Obi decided he wanted to go by an alias, Nanaki. Obi was lucky and didn't receive any injuries so far, which was a relief to Sonya. As he waited for his match, Obi stood next to Sonya and watched the other matched from the sidelines.

"Hey just out of curiosity, why did you want to use an alias for these tournaments" Sonya inquired looking up at him with a confused look on her face.

"I just wanted to feel famous" Obi replied as he watched the fight in front of him.

"But why choose an alias? Why couldn't you use your real name?" She asked still looking at him. Before Obi could respond, his _name_ was called. It was time for his match now. Obi entered the center of the ring along with his opponent. He was a little bit taller than Obi, which made Sonya nervous. As the match went on she watched anxiously on the outside. Granted she knew how skilled he is, it didn't stop her from worrying about him. She kept a first aid kit on her person just in case. His opponent wasn't able to land any hits on him. With one swift kick Obi secured his victory. Sonya's face lite up with excitement when she saw that he had won. The tournament was over. Obi collected his prize then left with Sonya.

"Obi where did you learn to fight like that? You were so amazing in that match! That guy couldn't even land a hit on you" Sonya boasted. Obi chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"They're just some skills I picked up over the years" he replied.

"Does it have anything to do with your job?" She asked.

"Yeah I guess you could say that" he answered vaguely. They made it outside of the building where the tournament took place. Obi paused for a moment and Sonya stopped shortly after when she noticed that he had stopped. She looked at him confused.

"Is their something wrong Obi?" She asked. He didn't respond to her. Instead, he turned around to face her and gently pulled down her beige colored hood and revealed her brown hair that she had placed in a low bun to keep it from getting in the way. He then placed something in her hair just above her left ear.

"Here, I want you to have this. It's a decorative flower hair pin It's one of the prizes that I won just now. I think it'll look better on you though" Obi told her with a smirk on his face. Sonya looked up at him surprised and with a blush on her cheeks. Sonya raised her hand to feel the hair pin. It was small and felt as if it were made out of some type of ceramic material.

"Uh thanks Obi" She responded to his gesture.

"No problem, consider it as a thank you for coming along with me. I've been lucky enough not to need any medical treatment so far, but it's nice to still have you here to support me" Obi stated. Sonya continued to blush. She was shocked by his words. Obi had never thanked her before, except for the time that they first met when she treated the wound on his arm. The two continued their way back to the mountains. Then, she remembered something from earlier.

"Obi, you never got the chance to tell me why you chose to go by Nanaki instead of your real name" Sonya mentioned remembering their conversation from before his match.

"I already told you it was because I wanted to feel famous" Obi replied.

"But how would going by Nanaki make you feel more famous than going by simply Obi?" She continued to ask. Obi shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess it's just a habit for me to come up with stage names now" Obi stated. Sonya looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked in response looking at him with curiosity as the continued walking.

"Let's just say it's a part of my job" Obi stated not looking back at her. Then a lightbulb went off in her head. All the pieces to the puzzle started to fit together. The fact that he is vague with his answers, his habit for coming up with alias', his fighting skills, and the fact that he's so secretive about his job. She recognized the pattern. It was mostly because she had another friend who is similar to Obi. The only difference was she knew what her friend did for a living. She was an assassin. Sonya stopped in her tracks again and clutched the strap of her messenger bag.

"Obi" She called out to him.

"Hm?" he responded as he stopped and turned around to look at her. "What's wrong?" he then asked noticing the sudden change in her behavior.

"You're an assassin, aren't you?" She asked. Obi's eye's widened with shock. He was surprised that she figured it out. "Be honest with me. Is that why you won't tell me anything about yourself? Are you worried that'll I'll think of you differently?" She continued as she clutched the strap even harder.

"Yeah you're right and no. The reason why I didn't tell you was because I didn't want you to be afraid of me." Obi confessed. Sonya took a few steps towards Obi and looked into his eyes.

"Obi, you have never given me a reason to be afraid of you. I don't care who you are or what you do for a living. I have another friend who happens to be an assassin and I'm not afraid of her either. To be honest that day when I first met you, I thought it was going to be the only time I saw you. I wasn't expecting you to take me up on my offer and come visit the shop or stay for dinner and I surely didn't expect you to ask me to come with you while you compete in these tournaments." She told him. For some reason, there was a slight blush on Obi's face. Her eyes then moved away from his gaze. "I know as an assassin it's not a good idea to get attached to someone, but Obi if it's okay with you, I would like to be your friend" She then stated. Obi was a little surprised by this. He then smiled and patted her on the head.

"To be honest, I already thought of us as friends" Obi told her. Sonya looked back up at him with a smile. After that moment the two decided that it was a good idea to continue onwards to Sonya's home. It took roughly most of the day, but the two managed to make it back safely. Sonya said goodbye to Obi and walked into her house. She was happy Obi finally told her the truth and now they can move on with their friendship.


	4. Chapter 4

Sonya's parents were gone longer than expected and it turns out, they made enemies. A group of bandits raided the shop and ended up kidnapping Sonya for ransom. Sonya tried putting up a fight, however she was outmatched. One of the bandits got her in the upper arm with sword then knocked her out. Another tied her up and threw her over his shoulder. The group left the shop. Sonya was placed on the back of a horse and the bandits rode off. Obi was currently in the middle of a job but wanted to stop by and see Sonya. On his way to the shop he noticed a group of bandits riding their horses into town. Then he spotted Sonya on the back of one of the horses. Angry, Obi confronted the bandits.

He took them out and untied Sonya and carried her back to the Shop. She was still unconscious, so he laid her down on the couch. Her arm was still bleeding pretty badly so he searched the messy shop looking for bandages to wrap around her arm. He found a roll of gauze underneath the counter in the front of the shop. He brought them back to Sonya and wrapped up the wound on her arm. A few moments later Sonya came to and the first thing she noticed was that she was back in the shop. For a second, she thought that what had just happened was all just a dream. That was until she noticed that her arm was wrapped in bandages and Obi was in the room with her. Her eyes widened when she realized that Obi was the one that saved her from those bandits. She got up from the couch and wrapped her arms around Obi's neck and pulled him into a hug ad she sobbed into his shoulder. Obi was a little surprised by this but returned the hug.

"What was that about? Are you okay?" Obi asked. Sonya then let go of him and wiped away her tears as she nodded.

"Yeah thanks to you, I'm fine. Apparently, my parents owed some people money and they hired some guys to raid the shop and decided to take me as ransom" Sonya explained.

"I see" Obi responded with an unsettling look on his face. Sonya looked at him with concern.

"What's wrong Obi?" She asked worried about him.

"I'm sorry Sonya; had I got here sooner, I could have prevented this from happening. I could've protected you." Obi stated.

"It's okay Obi, there's no need for you to apologize. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead right now" Sonya responded. The look on Obi's face didn't change.

"Well since you're here. Would you like something to eat? I can make that spicy dish you seem to like so much" She then offered.

"Actually, I can't stay long. I'm in the middle of a job, rain check?" Obi replied. Sonya smiled with a nod. She then went into the next room leaving Obi by himself for a moment. She came back with a small pouch and handed it to him.

"What's this?" Obi asked as he examine the pouch with his eyes.

"It's a small first-aid kit I put together. I want you to have it just incase you might need it" Sonya told him.

Two weeks later Obi returned from his job. After that incident with the bandits, he decided that it was best to keep her close to him. Sonya joined Obi and his partner, Torou for a few jobs. She was responsible for treating their injuries since she was just an herbalist. One job in particular severely injured Obi and Sonya didn't have the proper herbs to fully heal him causing his body to leave behind terrible scars that she could never bare to look at. Sonya felt guilty for letting Obi get so injured and decided to do some combat training. She closed down the shop and left Tanbarun and went to Clarines where her friend who happens to be an assassin like Obi lives. Sonya was trained as an assassin for two years and did a few jobs with her friend before she landed a job as a soldier at Wistal Castle. However, she didn't remain a soldier for very long. Prince Izana noticed her skills in combat and saw how intelligent she was after having a conversation with her and decided he wanted to have her as his attendant. It has now been three years since she left Tanbarun and seen Obi. She missed him and hoped he was doing okay.

It was an average day in Wistal Castle. Sonya was running errands for Prince Izana and decided to take a small break and stop off to see his younger brother, Zen. She knocked on the door before entering and was greeted by Zen and his attendants.

"Hi Zen, I hope I'm not bothering you" She greeted as she walked in the room.

"Not at all Sonya, you're fine" Zen responded.

"What are you doing here Sonya? Did you need something?" Mitsuhide asked.

"No, I just wanted to drop by and say hi before I return to my duties" She replied.

"I heard rumors that you're being sent to Lyrias next week" Kiki mentioned.

"Yeah unfortunately I am. Prince Izana is concerned that the situation that's been developing there is getting serious and wants me to look into it. I'm supposed to be gone for a whole year at best" Sonya stated.

"Sounds rough, I hope everything turns out okay" Mitsuhide commented.

"Yeah, I hope so too" She chimed in.

"Wait, what's going on in Lyrias?" Zen asked. Sonya shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't know. Ask your brother if you're curious. He didn't give me any details" She told him.

"Well if he didn't tell you anything than he certainly won't tell me anything either" Zen stated.

"Yeah true" She commented. "I bet you that there's actually nothing going on in Lyrias and Izana is just making this whole thing up just to send me there because he knows how much I hate the cold." She then complained.

"Yeah, sounds like something my brother would do" Zen responded.

"I swear to god if I'm right, your brother is a dead man" Sonya said bitterly. She then sighed regaining her composure. "Sorry about that. I should probably go before Izana sends that jerk Haruka to come find me" Sonya said as she left the room.

"I feel bad for Sonya. She always talks about how much she hates being cold and now she's being sent to a place that's practically winter year-round" Mitsuhide commented.

"Maybe you should go with her. You could be her savior and keep her warm with what she likes to refer to as the best hugs" Kiki joked causing Mitsuhide to blush.

"Come on Kiki, that's not funny!" Mitsuhide exclaimed. Zen however thought it was funny and chuckled.

"You can't blame her. You used to have the biggest crush on Sonya when you first met her" Zen mentioned.

"I remember how every time she tried to talk to you, you couldn't even form a coherent sentence" Kiki commented.

"Or how red your face would turn every time she gave you a hug" Zen chimed in.

"T-That was a long time ago. I don't even like her like that anymore" Mitsuhide stated.

Meanwhile Sonya was in her room packing for her trip to Lyrias next week.

As she was going through her stuff deciding on what to bring with her, something slipped and fell on the floor. She picked it up and noticed that it was the flower hair pin Obi gave her a long time ago after winning it in one of his tournaments. She hadn't worn it since leaving Tanbarun thinking she would end up loosing it. She sat on the edge of her bed and played with it in her hands. She smiled remembering how she felt closer to him after he gave her the hair pin.

' _Obi, I wonder what you're doing right now. I hope you're okay'_


	5. Chapter 5

As of right now, Sonya has been in Lyrias for a little over a year. Just as she suspected, there was nothing of concern going on. She didn't want her time there to be a waste, so she decided to put her knowledge and skill in herbology to use and help with medical treatment. A few months later Sonya decided that it was time to leave and head back to Clarines. Currently at Wistal Castle Zen was in his office with his attendants and the new apprentice court herbalist, Shirayuki.

"So, word around the castle is that Sonya is returning soon" Mitsuhide mentioned.

"Yeah and I read some of the reports that she sent, and she might not be in a good mood when she arrives" Zen stated.

"So, I guess she was right about Prince Izana just wanting to torture her" Kiki commented.

"Yeah basically, she mentioned in the first report that the people had no idea why she was there in the first place." Zen noted.

"Poor Sonya, hopefully she was able to keep herself occupied while she was there" Mitsuhide commented.

"Wait, who's Sonya?" Shirayuki asked.

"She's my brother's aide. She's actually really nice despite all the stories that often circulate around the castle. When she returns I'll introduce you to her" Zen responded.

"You two actually have two things in common. Sonya also happens to be an herbalist from Tanbarun" Mitsuhide mentioned.

"Really?" Shirayuki questioned in response. Mitsuhide nodded his head.

"Yeah, but she never worked here as an herbalist. When she first came to the castle she was only just a soldier. Then my brother noticed she was different from the other soldiers and decided to make her his attendant" Zen chimed in. "She keeps a personal collection of herbs and other medicinal plants in her room. If you ask, I'm sure she'll be happy to show you" he then added.

"That would be nice" Shirayuki responded with a small smile.

"When is she supposed to return anyways?" Kiki asked. Zen shrugged his shoulders.

"I think she mentioned in the last report that she would be back either late tonight or tomorrow morning" Zen replied.

"Well she's not exactly a morning person, so she might be in an even worse mood if she comes back in the morning" Mitsuhide commented with a chuckle.

"Yeah true" Zen chuckled. "I remember the one-time Lord Haruka tried to wake her up just after dawn and she was so mad she slammed the door so hard in his face that it actually broke his nose" Zen added.

"That's horrible" Shirayuki commented.

"Sonya absolutely hates Lord Haruka so a majority of the stories you hear about her is basically her just threating him" Kiki stated.

"Well he kinda started it. He wasn't exactly pleasant with her. Although now he seems to be a bit afraid of her" Mitsuhide mentioned.

"That's cause she kicked him right where no guy wants to be kicked" Zen noted. "But don't let that stuff scare you, like I said, she's really nice…other than that stuff of course. However, I don't see why she wouldn't like you. Maybe you two could become good friends" Zen continued as he saw Shirayuki was getting nervous about meeting Sonya.

"I would like that" Shirayuki responded with a smile.

Then next day just before dawn, Sonya arrived back at the castle. In the courtyard she looked up at a tree she stood near and noticed someone was asleep on one of the big branches. The person was Obi, but she assumed that she was delusional from exhaustion due to her long trip back from Lyrias and that it wasn't really him. Later that afternoon after getting some sleep, Sonya decided to go to the medical wing to see Ryuu and Garack. Every time she travels, Sonya usually brings back a little souvenir for those two. While she was in Lyrias she picked a few herbs that exclusively grow in that region. When she entered the infirmary, she didn't see either Ryuu or Garack, but a red-headed girl that she had never met before.

"Oh hello" Sonya greeted not expecting to see someone new. Shirayuki looked up from her work.

"Uh hi" Shirayuki greeted in response.

"You must be new, because I don't think we've met before" Sonya stated.

"I've been here for a few months now. I'm an Apprentice Court Herbalist. My name's Shirayuki" she replied with a smile.

"Well it's nice to meet you Shirayuki. I'm Sonya, Prince Izana's attendant" Sonya introduced herself.

"Oh, you're Sonya. Zen and Mitsuhide told me so much about you" She mentioned.

"Oh really?" Sonya questioned. Shirayuki nodded with a smile.

"Yeah Mitsuhide mentioned that you're also an herbalist from Tanbarun just like me" Shirayuki replied.

"Oh, I didn't know you're from Tanbarun. It's nice to know I have someone in the castle I can relate to. My parents ran a pharmacy in the southern mountains so I kinda grew up in the profession. I didn't mind it though. I actually enjoyed being an herbalist. I've met a lot of amazing people that way. Granted, I haven't worked as an herbalist since I started working at the Castle six years ago…. well until recently. While I was away in Lyrias for the past year I was supposed to look into a situation that was supposedly developing over there, but it turned out to be nothing and I didn't want to waste any of my time there, so I volunteered to help with medical treatment at one of their clinics" Sonya explained.

"That sounds amazing" Shirayuki commented.

"Yeah I guess. Oh, before I forget, I usually bring something back for Ryuu and Garack, but I assume their busy with something so can you do me a favor and pass it on for me?" Sonya requested as she handed Shirayuki a little straw-woven container of the herbs she picked.

"Sure, no problem" She answered as she took the small container.

"Well I have to get going. Prince Izana is expecting me to give him a report soon. I'll see ya later Shirayuki" Sonya said before leaving the room.

"Sonya, wait a second" Shirayuki called to her. Sonya paused for a second and turned to look at Shirayuki.

"What is it?" She inquired.

"Zen mentioned the other day that you keep a personal collection of herbs you've picked from places you've traveled to. Do you think one day I could see this collection? I'm interested in seeing what herbs you have." Shirayuki asked.

"Sure, no problem. When I have free time sometime this week I'll show you. Just so you know they're all preserved so they might look a little different from what you're used to" Sonya replied. "Now I really got to go. I wanted to see Zen before I have to go see his brother" Sonya continued as she rushed out of the room. She made her way to Zen's office and knocked on the door before entering.

"Oh, hey Sonya, you're back" Mitsuhide greeted.

"How was Lyrias?" Zen asked.

"Let's just say I'm happy I can finally feel warmth and that your brother is dead to me" Sonya commented.

"That bad huh" Kiki commented.

"Yeah, I was expecting it though. I didn't want the trip to be a complete waste, so I helped out with medical care since I'm technically an herbalist" Sonya responded.

"Speaking of herbalist did you hear that Ryuu has an apprentice now?" Mitsuhide asked her.

"Yeah, Shirayuki. I just met her a few minutes ago actually. She seems really nice" Sonya replied.

"Did you also meet Zen's new messenger?" Mitsuhide questioned. Sonya shook her head. Zen stood up from his desk and stepped towards the balcony.

"Let me introduce you to him then" Zen stated. He opened the glass door to the balcony. "Hey Obi, get over here!" he then called out. Sonya flinched when she heard Zen called out his name. Within seconds Obi had climbed onto the balcony.

"Hey Master, you called?" Obi greeted. Sonya was shocked to see it actually was Obi. She then noticed a scratch on his cheek. Sonya approached Obi.

"Well hello there It's been awhile since I've seen you. Glad to know you're not dead Miss Sonya" Obi commented. Sonya then caressed his cheek.

"Obi what happened to you?" Sonya asked.

"Well you see I was originally hired to.."

"I meant to your face Obi" She said interrupting him.

"Oh that? It's kind of a funny story actually" he responded. Sonya looked at him with concern on her face.

"Well there's a look I haven't seen in years. It's nice to know you still care" Obi joked. Sonya let go of his face and she went from being concerned to annoyed.

"Wait, I'm lost. You two already know each other?" Zen questioned taken back by their interaction with each other.

"I'll explain it some other time" Sonya responded as she glanced at Zen. She then turned her attention back to Obi. "Are you going to let me put some medicine on it or are you going to give me the infamous Obi response" Sonya then asked him.

"What's the infamous Obi response?" Mitsuhide inquired.

"I'm fine this is no big deal it's nothing to worry about" Sonya replied.

"Wow word for word I'm impressed you remember" Obi complimented.

"Cause that's all you ever say when you get injured and when you tell me not to worry it just makes me worry even more" Sonya told him. Obi was a little surprised by that, but then he chuckled.

"Seriously Sonya I'm fine. It's only a scratch" Obi stated.

"Fine, whatever. I have to go anyways" Sonya said as she walked away from him. "I have to go report to Prince Izana, so I'll see everyone later" She then stated before taking her leave.

"Well that was unexpected. I didn't know you two were close Obi" Mitsuhide commented. Obi got off of the balcony and entered the office.

"I met her years ago in Tanbarun. We became friends after she treated an injury on my arm. Then one day I was severely wounded on a job trying to protect her. She didn't have any medicine left to fully treat me and next thing I knew, she disappeared. Honestly I had no idea she's been in Clarines this whole time" Obi explained.

"Well clearly she still cares about you" Kiki stated.

"Yeah, but I think she's gotten soft on me. Usually she would yell at me for not letting her treat my injures" Obi chuckled. The evening had arrived, and Sonya sat in the herb garden. It was something she liked doing at night.

"I see you still like sitting in the herb gardens at night" a masculine voice stated. Sonya turned around and saw Obi standing at the top of the stairs.

"Obi? What are you doing up this late?" Sonya asked.

"You know how I like to live the nocturnal life" he responded as he walked down the steps and sat next to Sonya. "So, let me ask you, why did you disappear like you did? If you wanted to go to Clarines, why didn't you just say so?" Obi inquired. Sonya hugged her legs tightly.

"Because if I told you why then you wouldn't have let me come" Sonya said with a mumble.

"What are you talking about?" Obi asked.

"Remember when I told you about my friend Lileigh who also happens to be an assassin?" Sonya asked in reply.

"Yeah, what about her?" he asked in response.

"Well I originally came to Clarines, so she could give me some combat training. Soon after that we became partners and did a few jobs together. However, I wasn't satisfied with my own skills and decided to become a soldier here at the castle." Sonya explained.

"Since when do you care about needing combat training?" Obi questioned. "You could have stayed in Tanbarun and I could've protected you" He continued. This made Sonya snap. She stood up and turned to Obi.

"That's exactly why! I was desperate to learn how to fight!" Sonya shouted at him in frustration. Obi was taken back by this. "You almost died because of me Obi. I felt so guilty knowing that I'm the reason your body is covered in those scars. It didn't help that I didn't have the proper medicine to treat you either" she then mumbled as she sat back down.

"So that's why?" Obi questioned. Sonya responded with a nod.

"So, for the sake of my curiosity, how did you end up here at the castle?" Sonya asked.

"Well it's kind of a long story" Obi started.  
"Obi that's the same line you use every time you want to hide something from me, so just tell me already" Sonya stated as she got annoyed with him again.

"Well I was hired by Lord Haruka to scare off the little red-headed miss" Obi explained.

"Literally not even surprised that it was his idea. That bastard has such an ego that he treats those beneath him like they shouldn't even exist" Sonya stated.

"I take it you don't like him" Obi noted.

"Nope. He used to treat me like crap when I first became Prince Izana's attendant. He would always talk about how I didn't belong here and that I'm just a peasant. That went on until one day I got tired of it and taught him a little lesson and now he's afraid of me" Sonya giggled.

"What did you do to him?" he asked.

"I kicked him right where the sun doesn't shine with my steel toed boots" Sonya replied giving Obi a wink. Obi cringed in response. "So anyways, how did you become Zen's messenger?" She then asked.

"Well that's simple. After I was caught I kinda handed myself to Master and after I gained his trust I became his messenger and guardian to the little miss" Obi explained.

"So, let me see if I understand. You went from scaring off Shirayuki to protecting her?" Sonya question a little confused by the situation.

"Yup, basically" Obi replied.

"Interesting" Sonya commented. Sonya then stood up again and dusted herself off.

"Well I'm starting to get tired so I'm gonna head off now. Have a good night Obi" Sonya said as she started walking up the steps. Then she paused for a moment. Just as Obi was getting up Sonya jumped on his back and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"What's wrong Sonya?" Obi asked not used to this kind of behavior with her.

"I'm so glad to have you back in my life. I've missed you so much" Sonya mumbled to him.


	6. Chapter 6

Today was Castle Day, a festive held every few years where the public are allowed inside the Castle walls. Sonya was on duty, but Prince Izana gave her permission to enjoy the festival until the time came where he needed her. She wore her casual uniform until then as she walked around taking a look at each merchant stall she passed by. She then noticed Mitsuhide, Kiki, Zen dressed as a guard, and Shirayuki walking up ahead. She approached the group from behind.

"Well I guess being a Prince isn't enough for anymore Zen" Sonya teased. Zen jumped a little surprised to hear her voice.

"Sonya, how come you're not with my brother?" Zen asked when he turned around.

"He said I can do what ever I want until it's time to greet the crowd later" Sonya responded. Then she noticed that Obi wasn't with the group. "Where's Obi?" She asked. Everyone looked around and saw that Obi wasn't with them. An idea popped into her head. "Wait a second. I think I know where to find him" She then commented as she led the way to find him. After a few minutes of wandering the group eventually stubbled upon a small fighting ring and just as Sonya suspected Obi was at the center in the middle of a match. The group watched from the stairs.

"That scoundrel, what does he think he's doing?" Zen questioned annoyed.

"He just couldn't resist" Sonya commented with a smirk and a giggle. "Welcome back Nanaki. Please be careful" she mumbled to herself.

"The winner is...Nanaki" The referee announced as he held up Obi's arm in victory. Obi collected his prize and noticed his master and group standing up off to the side and waved to them. He then ran up to the group with group with his prize in hand.

"Hey Master, did you watch me win that fight. Look I got a prize" Obi commented as she showed off his prize to Zen.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to run off and who is this Nanaki anyways?" Zen questioned annoyed with him.

"For tournaments like these I use a stage name to feel famous" Obi responded.

"You're a strange man you know that" Zen commented.

"I was wondering how long it would take for Nanaki to show up during this event. Cleary not very long" Sonya commented with a giggle. Obi then looked at Sonya.

"Oh, you're here too Miss Sonya. I thought you would be with Izana" Obi mentioned.

"I wanted to take a walk around before both princes had to greet the crowd. It's actually just about time for that so I better go get ready. Congrats on winning Obi...oops I mean Nanaki" Sonya said with a wink as she walked away. There was a slight pink tint on Obi's cheek.

"Zen we should get going as well" Kiki told him. Zen gave Kiki a nodded and started walking away.

"Take good care of her Obi" Zen said right before walking out.

"Sonya seems to know you very well. She knew just where to find you" Shirayuki commented.

"Me and Sonya were well acquainted before coming here to the Castle. She was with me when I first started participating in these matches." Obi admitted.

"I see. That explains her comment before." Shirayuki mentioned.

"What comment?" Obi asked.

"While you were fighting she was kinda mumbling to herself saying 'Welcome back Nanaki' or something like that" Shirayuki told him. Obi chuckled in response.

"She wasn't to fond of the name when I first came up with it. She thought it was stupid and that I should have just used my actual name" He told her. "Anyways let's go watch Master greet the crowd" Obi then said leading Shirayuki into the crowd. They stood in the crowd and looked up at the two princes. Shirayuki's gaze was fix aided on Zen while Obi's was on Sonya who stood off to Izana's far right in her formal uniform. She stood there with arms behind her back staring out to the crowd with a smile on her face. "It's like she's a different person up there with him" Obi muttered to himself.

"Huh? Did you say something Obi?" Shirayuki questioned breaking her gaze off Zen.

"Oh, uh it's nothing Miss" Obi responded surprised that she heard him. The princes were done greeting the crowd and retreated back into the castle. Zen changed back into the guard uniform he borrowed for the day. Sonya decided to stay in her formal uniform feeling too lazy to change. Zen and his attendants went back outside to meet up with Shirayuki and Obi.

"Where's Sonya? Does Prince Izana want her to stay with him?" Shirayuki asked.

"No, I'm right here. Sorry I wanted to fix my hair. It got pretty messed up with the wind blowing" Sonya explained as she walked up to the group.

"Why are you still wearing that Sonya? Shouldn't you change back into your regular uniform?" Mitsuhide asked.

"Well you see it's called being lazy" Sonya responded sarcastically.

"But you still had the energy to fix your hair" Obi commented.

"I may be lazy, but I still want to look presentable you know." Sonya retorted. "So, I'm gonna grab some food before I have to return to Prince Izana. Anyone wanna join me?" Sonya then asked.

"I'll go with you Miss Sonya" Obi offered.

"Anyone else want to join?" Sonya asked.

"I would like to walk around a bit more" Shirayuki mentioned.

"So, I'm gonna assume you're gonna stay with your princess your highness" Sonya teased with a wink. Zen blushed at the comment. "Well if Zen is staying with Shirayuki I'm guessing you two are gonna stay with them so It's just you and me Obi" Sonya then commented and turned and smiled at Obi.

"You two enjoy yourself. Keep Obi out of trouble for me Sonya" Zen commented.

"Oh come on Master" Obi jokingly whined.

"Don't worry I'll make sure he stays on his best behavior" Sonya teased as she reached up and patted him on the head.

"Hey! I'm not a dog you know" Obi retorted.

"You're right. You're a cat" Sonya teased with a wink as she still petted him. "Now come on. I only have an hour before I have to return to my duties" Sonya mentioned before she walked away with Obi following behind. Sonya didn't know what she was in the mood to eat so she just roamed around browsing each stall. Obi noticed one selling alcohol.

"Hey Sonya check this out. This one has liquor" Obi called out to her as she stood in the crowd. Sonya looked over and rolled her eyes.

"Obi, I got plenty of liquor inside the Castle if you really want some" She said as she approached him.

"So, have you decided on what you want eat yet?" he inquired. Sonya shook her head.

"I know you want something spicy, so I guess I can settle for that for now" Sonya mentioned.

"You don't have to do that. Plus, you don't even like spicy foods" Obi told her.

"Eh I'll make an exception just this once cause I'm hungry. So, take your pick, you're the expert when it comes to spicy foods my kitty" Sonya stated. There was something about Sonya calling him her kitty that made his heart thump in a weird way, and yet he didn't mind it.

"So, the Miss told me that you're the one who found me earlier. How did you know where I was?" Obi asked.

"Oh please, like I don't know you. This is a festival after all. There's always a fighting ring and I knew you couldn't resist getting involved and Nanaki would make an appearance" Sonya joked.

"I'm surprised you even remember that alias." He mentioned.

"Well of course, I don't know why you expected me to forget" she told him. Obi noticed an interesting stall that had peppers, meat, and bread. He went over and got two breads stuffed with spicy meat and walked away. He handed one of the breads to Sonya.

"Obi did you seriously just buy me food?" Sonya questioned in disbelief switching her gaze between the bread and Obi.

"Why do you seem so surprised? Plus, what kind of gentleman would I be if I let a lady buy the food" Obi commented. Sonya giggled in response. Obi looked at her confused.

"Sorry It's just that you never actually went out of your way to buy me something, especially food." Sonya mentioned.

"That's not true I paid for that night we spent in that Inn back in Tanbarun when it poured. I slept on the couch while you slept in that bed that could fit like three people in it" Obi mentioned.

"Oh yeah I remember that night and I offered to share the bed with you because you kept complaining about it not being comfortable, but you refused saying it would be disrespectful to me" She retorted.

"Well it's true" Obi retorted back.

"MISS SONYA!" A messenger shouted as he ran up to her. Both Sonya and Obi turned and looked at him.

"Yes, what is it?" Sonya responded.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but his highness requests your presence at this time" He stated.

"Oh damn I lost track of time looking for something to eat. Thank you, tell Prince Izana that I'm on my way" Sonya instructed.

"Yes m'lady. I will let him know at once" The messenger bowed then took off back to the Castle.

"Wow, everyone in this Castle seems to highly respect you" Obi noted. Sonya shrugged her shoulders.

"Except Haruka of course, but that's only because I'm not of noble blood" She chimed. "Well I better get going now. Thanks for the food Obi" she then said as she sprinted away.

Sonya was on the Castle balcony with Prince Izana as it was now night time and the people prepared the lanterns below. Sonya watched the people light the lanterns while Izana was focused on his little brother and his group on one of the castle bridges. Sonya seemed to notice this after she looked up at the Prince, then followed his gaze.

"Your highness I know it's none of my business, but how long do you plan on testing them?" Sonya asked. She was fully well aware on what he had been doing to both Zen and Shirayuki and even overheard their conversation when they were greeting the people earlier.

"I just want to see how serious he is about the girl" Izana responded.

"And you wanna test if Shirayuki really does love him and isn't just using him for her own personal gain since she's just a commoner compare to you am I correct?" She then questioned.

"Very good. It's like you have me all figured out." He commented. "I actually am quite fond of the girl to be honest. She almost reminds me of you in a way Sonya?" he then mentioned glancing at her.

"I know I'm gonna regret asking this, but how so?" She asked.

"You both are quite stubborn and are perseverant when it comes to the path you want to take." Izana explained.

"Is that supposed to be some sort of compliment sir?" Sonya questioned.

"Yes it was. It's actually one of the few things I admire about the both of you." He stated, which somewhat surprised Sonya. While the two were talking the Lanterns were now floating up into the sky.

"Well then, I appreciate the compliment your highness" Sonya said as she watched the lanterns fly upwards.

"By the way Sonya, I noticed you were with Zen's messenger before? Care to explain?" Izana inquired.

"I knew him before coming to Clarines. I know what you're thinking sir and there's nothing romantic going on between me and Obi" Sonya told him.

"I see, is it because you still have feelings for Prince Raj's advisor?" Izana questioned.

"Sakaki will always have a place in my heart, but no that's not the reason" She stated not even looking at him. Memories of her and Sakaki started coming back to her. "Going back to Prince Zen and Shirayuki, what do you plan on doing if they never back down? Do you plan on telling your brother that you'll accept it and become an ally on the path they pursue?" Sonya questioned trying to change the subject back to the original topic.

"If that's the case then yes. If I know he's serious about the path he wants to take, and it leads him to becoming a better prince then I won't mind acting as an ally" He responded. Sonya couldn't help but smile at his answer. She knew it would be awhile before Izana decided to throw in the towel and accept his brother's relationship with Shirayuki, but it gave her hope that they would get their happy ending.


	7. Chapter 7

It was a regular day in the Castle. Everyone went on about their business like it was a daily routine. Well that was until Zen got a visitor that he wasn't too happy to see. That person was Mihaya, the person who kidnapped Shirayuki not long after she and Zen became friends. Mihaya claimed that he had some important information that involved the red-headed girl. Even though Zen didn't trust him, he still wanted to hear what he had to say. They gathered in a small room along with Zen's attendants, Shirayuki, and Obi to discuss the information had to offer. Mihaya claims that a boy named Kazuki that he recently met plans on kidnaping Shirayuki. He also mentioned that Kazuki knows that Shirayuki is at Wistal Castle which worried Zen. He placed Mihaya under the guards watch since he was the only person who knows what Kazuki looks like.

The next day Zen sent guards to look for Kazuki with only a mere description of what the boy looks like. He knew they would probably come back empty handed. Meanwhile, Shirayuki and Zen were summoned by Prince Izana to his office. He says that Shirayuki was invited by Prince Raj to attend a ball in Tanbarun and Prince Izana is ordering her to attend. Due to the situation with Kazuki Zen asked his brother if he would allow someone he trusts to accompany Shirayuki to Tanbarun. Izana allowed granted his requested much to Zen's surprise. Sonya had the week off, so she spent most of her time just wandering around castle grounds. She sensed some tension in the air than usual recently yet she herself hasn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. In the halls she managed to run into Mitsuhide.

"Hey Sonya, good afternoon" Mitsuhide greeted.

"Yeah, good afternoon" Sonya greeted back.

"So, I take it that you're off duty today?" Mitsuhide questioned judging by the way she was dressed. When she's off duty Sonya tends to dress more casually. Today she wore a subtle short sleeve pink dress that cut off just below her knees.

"Prince Izana gave me the week off actually" She told him.

"Oh, I see, well not to sound too forward, but that dress really suits you" Mitsuhide complimented.

"Thanks, I actually wasn't too sure about wearing this. I never wear anything with pink just cause I feel like it never looked good on me" Sonya expressed. "But I'm glad that you think it suits me Mitsuhide." She then commented with a smile.

"Well it does, anyways I have to get going I need to help Zen with an important matter" Mitsuhide stated.

"Oh, that reminds me, what's going on? I've noticed that the guards have been more alert than usual. Did something happen?" Sonya inquired.

"Oh, I guess no one said anything to you?" Mitsuhide questioned. Sonya shook her head.

"Well apparently there's a kid named Kazuki that plans on Kidnapping Shirayuki, so Zen sent out people to find Kazuki. Right now, Obi is in charge of guarding Mihaya while they're down at the port looking for Kazuki" Mitsuhide explained.

"Kazuki huh" Sonya mumbled.

"Do you know him?" Mitsuhide asked.

"Not personally, but I know of him" Sonya told him. "Well I'll let you get back to work. I'll see you around Mitsuhide" She then said as she walked away giving Mitsuhide a wave. Sonya rushed back to her room and changed her clothes. She put on her green sleeveless shirt and her black shorts and white knee-high socks with her brown ankle boots. She wrapped a purple scarf around her neck just as an accessory to her outfit and tied back her short hair into a small ponytail. She left her room and made her way to the port area. There she met up with her friend Lileigh.

"Hey wanna help a girl out with a job?" Sonya asked.

"Since when did you start taking up jobs again? Aren't you a prince's attendant?" Lileigh questioned confused. Sonya nodded her head in response. She then explained the situation to her. After understanding the situation, Lileigh agreed to help. They recruited their other friend Kilik who they used to work with a long time ago. The three up in order to cover more ground.

Meanwhile Obi was with Mihaya also in the port area looking for Kazuki. Obi spoke to a pair of soldiers and asked them that if Kazuki approached them about wanting to work at the Castle to hold on to the kid for him. The soldiers agreed, and Obi went on and continued his search.

"Why didn't you just tell them that you work at the castle instead of coming up with some lame story? Wouldn't it have been easier that way?" Mihaya asked as he walked next to Obi.

"Maybe, but I'm not used to working like that." Obi commented in response.

"What do you mean? Aren't you Prince Zen's attendant?" Mihaya questioned puzzled by Obi's response.

"Who knows" Obi replied. Then he noticed something. He saw someone he knew lurking in the market area of the port.

"Hold on a second. Wait right here." Obi stated as he walked away. Sonya managed to spot Kazuki and followed him around the port. She didn't want to cause a scene, so she decided not to apprehend him at the moment. Currently she hugged the corner of a building as she watched him from a far. Lileigh stood on the rooftops to watch him from up top.

"Well fancy seeing you down here Miss Sonya" Obi commented approaching her from behind.

"GAH!" Sonya jumped a little as she shouted then quickly covered her mouth.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you" Obi told her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sonya asked in a frustrated whisper.

"I'm here guarding Mihaya while we look for this Kazuki kid" Obi responded. "But what are you doing down here. How come you're not at the Castle" Obi then asked.

"I'm uh ya know just hanging around. It's my day off so I thought I'd come down here" Sonya replied not wanting to tell him what she's doing. She turned back around and there was no sign of Kazuki. "Damn it! I lost him" Sonya then mumbled.

"What are you doing?" Obi asked.

"Nothing" Sonya responded. Just then Lileigh approached the two.

"Sorry Sonya I lost visual of him from the roof top" Lileigh told her. Sonya glared at her.

'What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Lileigh asked confused by Sonya's expression. Then she noticed Obi. "Oh hello. Sorry I didn't notice you standing there" she then commented. Sonya sighed knowing things were about to get complicated.

"Lileigh this is Obi, Obi this is my friend Lileigh" Sonya introduced them to each other.

"Oh this is the guy that you're in L.." Sonya covered Lileigh's mouth in a panic. Obi looked at her confused.

"Shush he doesn't need to know about that. Now focus, we have to find the kid." Sonya whispered to her.

"Sorry" Lileigh said muffled by Sonya's hand. Sonya let go of her. "Maybe if we're lucking Kilik has eyes on him." Lileigh mentioned. Just as she said that Kilik showed up.

"Or not since he's here" Sonya stated gesturing to him.

"Sonya this might be a problem the kid has a partner" Kilik mentioned.

"Crap seriously? What does he look like?" Sonya asked completely forgetting about Obi for a moment.

"Tall, long wavy silver hair, ponytail, blue eyes" Kilik described.

"wait, does he have a scar under his eye?" Sonya questioned knowing who he's describing.

"Yeah how did you know that?" Kilik asked looking at Sonya confused.

"Damn it, I know him and he's a very skilled fighter. This got a lot more complicated now" Sonya stated.

"Sonya what's going on?" Obi asked. Sonya jumped a little in response. She then turned and looked at Obi with a worried expression.

"Sonya whose this?" Kilik asked pointing to Obi.

"Oh that's Obi, you know the guy that Sonya is in"

"LILEIGH!" Sonya shouted with a growl cutting her off.

"Oh I get it" Kilik commented with a chuckle.

"Can you two please go find him. I'll catch up later okay?" Sonya requested. Both nodded their heads and took off. Sonya sighed with relief.

"I'm sorry about that. Those were my friends that I used to work with. Now you met the girl that trained me. They're just helping me out with a job" Sonya told him.

"A job? Sonya you're an attendant to a prince. Do you really think this is a good idea?" Obi questioned.

"Relax it's nothing Illegal. I'm just doing some recon for a friend" Sonya explained. She then grabbed Obi by the hands. Obi slightly blushed at the contact. "Just please promise me you won't tell anyone back at the Castle especially the Princes or Mitsuhide or Kiki hell even Shirayuki" Sonya begged.

"Yeah sure fine, but what exactly is this job anyways? Why are you being so secretive?" Obi continued to question. Sonya still held his hands.

"Don't you have some guarding to do?" Sonya questioned whispering into his ear and gestured to Mihaya who stood a distance away from them. Obi looked over at Mihaya. Sonya took the opportunity to escape. When Obi turned back to Sonya, she was gone. Obi was puzzled.

"She's definitely up to something. Let's just hope she doesn't get herself in trouble" Obi mumbled. He placed a hand over his heart then looked at his hands. 'what is this feeling? It's not the first time she's done that. It's that same feeling when she hugged me a few weeks ago.' He thought as he walked back to Mihaya.

"What's this? The stray cat has a girlfriend?" Mihaya jokingly questioned.

"It's nothing like that." Obi mumbled.

"Why didn't you ask her to come along? She seemed into you and she's cute too" Mihaya commented.

"Don't worry about her, just focus on finding Kazuki. You're the only one who knows what he looks like" Obi ordered. At the end of the day the two weren't able to find Kazuki. Obi was back at the Castle. He changed back into his uniform and was sitting on the ledge of one of the Windows. It was late at night and Sonya was just returning from the port. Obi noticed her walk through the gate. He jumped down from where he was and walked up to Sonya.

"So, mind telling me what that was about earlier?" Obi requested.

"Oh, you're in uniform now" Sonya commented trying to change the subject.

"Sonya stop trying to change the subject. I already promised to keep it a secret, so you can tell me. I'm a man of my word you know" Obi commented with a smirk.

"Alright fine, but not here. The guards tend to ease drop. Come with me. I know some where we can talk in private. I'll even bring some liquor cause I could use a drink or two" Sonya stated as she led Obi to a secluded area of the castle after she stopped off to get a bottle of booze and two glasses. She poured one glass and handed it to Obi and poured another for herself.

"Since when did you start drinking? I thought you hated alcohol" Obi questioned taking a sip from his glass.

"Do you not know who I deal with on a daily basis? These people drive me to drink. Every time I'm even in the same room as Haruka I feel the need to drink a whole bottle of this stuff" Sonya complained.

"So then why stay? You left Tanbarun because it made you miserable, so what's stopping you from leaving the Castle?" Obi questioned.

"I didn't leave Tanbarun because I was miserable. I left so I could receive combat training from Lileigh. Obi if it wasn't for me getting in the way, you wouldn't have been so badly injured. Had I had the proper herbs to treat you then you wouldn't have scared so badly either. I did originally plan on returning to Tanbarun, but I guess I got so caught up in my training and taking on various jobs with Lileigh and Kilik that I kinda forgot about it" Sonya confessed then took a sip of her drink.

"You know for a while I actually thought you got kidnapped again. The shop your parents owned was burnt down so I figured that there were people after you. I actually went looking for you. Then one day Torou told me she spotted you in Clarines, so I figured that you had just moved on" Obi told her.

"Obi there's something I want to show you" Sonya mentioned as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the flower hair pin she always seems to carry around. Obi was surprised to see it in her hand.

"I spent almost 2 years in Lyrias recently and when I was packing for my trip I found this stuck to my black hood that I wore when we went to tournaments together." Sonya stated.

"I can't believe you still have that" Obi uttered in surprise.

"Of course. I thought I lost it when I left Tanbarun and I remember getting so upset when I couldn't find it" Sonya giggled. "I know it's silly to get upset of a hair pin of all things, but this one is special because you gave it to me the day we became actual friends" Sonya continued.

"I won that in a tournament and I remember you being there and I thought it would look better on you. That pin complimented both your hair and your eyes" Obi stated. There he goes again feeling that feeling he felt before. Now it was just her presence causing it instead physical contact like earlier. There was something about her that made him feel different. He felt a similar feeling with Shirayuki, however it was stronger with Sonya.

"Oh yeah, before I forget. What were you doing earlier in the port area with those two?" Obi asked remembering why they came to talk in the first place.

"Oh right, that" Sonya responded pouring more liquor into her glass. "Want more?" She then asked still holding the bottle. Obi held out his glass as Sonya filled it.

"So go on I'm listening" Obi encouraged before taking a sip.

"I was wondering what was going on since everyone seemed a bit on edge. Then I bumped into Mitsuhide and he told me about the whole situation with Kazuki. Since I had time off and I know what Kazuki looks like I thought I would help find him. I didn't want anyone to know just in case I came up empty handed, which I did by the way." She explained. "I had a lead on the kid until you showed up and distracted me so thanks Obi" She then commented sarcastically.

"Wait you know this Kazuki kid?" Obi asked.

"Like I told Mitsuhide I just know of him. He belongs to a group called the Lions of the Mountain in Tanbarun. The kid happens to be a very skilled archer and according to my friend Kilik, Kazuki didn't come alone. The person he described is Itoya, he's a very skilled fighter and the co-leader of the Lions. I'm certainly no match for him so that's why I didn't bother trying to catch Kazuki, but I figured if I followed him long enough, he could lead me to where he was hiding. Sadly, we lost him in the crowd and I haven't been able to find him." Sonya continued to explain.

"Well tomorrow you and I can go back to the port and try and find him. I rather guard you than that mountain monkey Mihaya" Obi stated.

"Aren't you supposed to go to Tanbarun tomorrow with Shirayuki?" Sonya questioned.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. Will you be seeing me off tomorrow then?" Obi asked.

"Oh, I guess your Master neglected to tell you that me and Haruka will be joining you two up until the boarder" Sonya mentioned.

"Lord Haruka is coming as well?!" Obi questioned surprised. Sonya placed a hand on Obi's knee.

"Don't worry, I'll be there to keep him in his place" Sonya commented with a playful wink. Obi blushed slightly at the gesture. Sonya then removed her hand. "I'm technically off duty, but I'm doing this as a favor for Zen." She then told him.

"I guess it would be a good thing to have you with us cause then you could spot Kazuki if needed" Obi commented.

"Well yeah true, but it's mostly to make sure Haruka minds his manners with Miss Shirayuki and I guess with you as well" She responded, taking a sip from her glass. She then stood up and dusted herself off.

"Well I better get to sleep now. We have to leave early in the morning and…well you of all people know how I am when I don't get enough sleep" She commented giving him a wink. Obi chuckled in response.

Sonya giggled at his chuckle. "Well that's new. I don't think I've ever heard you laugh before. It's actually quite refreshing." She told him.

"Well I've changed a lot since I started working here. It's like the old me no longer exists now" Obi stated.

"Huh really? I can't tell if that's a relief or if that makes me worry" Sonya retorted. "Anyways, goodnight Obi. I'll see you in the morning" She then said before walking away leaving Obi by himself. Obi smirked as he watched her walk away.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the next morning and Shirayuki and Obi were waiting at the front gate ready for their departure to Tanbarun. Shirayuki sat on the bench against the Castle wall and Obi went to place his suitcases on the carriage. Just then Lord Haruka showed up and stood in front of Shirayuki. She looked up at him nervously.

"You look like you have something controversial to say about my accompanying you" Haruka said intimidatingly. Shirayuki vigorously shook her head.

"No sir I think nothing of the sort" She responded in a panic.

"Miss!" Obi called out to her as he walked back from the carriage. He noticed Lord Haruka and panicked making an incoherent noise. Lord Haruka turned to find the source of the voice.

"Huh? OBI?!" He exclaimed.

"Lord Haruka, please forgive me. That was terribly rude" Obi pleaded.

"Why am I not surprised you're already tormenting the poor things" a feminine voice stated. All three turned and saw Sonya dressed in her uniform with her hair pulled back.

"Sonya!" Shirayuki exclaimed with excitement. Sonya walked over to the group.

"What are you doing here Miss Sonya?" Lord Haruka questioned.

"Aww did Prince Zen not mention that I would be tagging along with you three on this trip?" She teased.

"No, he didn't. I thought Prince Izana gave you the week off after your return from Lyrias?" He then questioned.

"Yes, but I'm doing this as a favor for Prince Zen. He asked me to assist Obi in making sure Miss Shirayuki arrives in Tanbarun safely" Sonya stated.

"I see, very well then" Lord Haruka responded candidly. As they were done talking, Prince Zen and his attendants arrived.

"Oh good, you're all here. I came to see you all off" Zen announced.

"Your highness, might I have a moment of your time" Lord Haruka requested.

"Of course, Lord Haruka" Zen granted. Haruka walked away from the three to talk to Zen privately.

"No doubt he's complaining of my accompanying on this trip." Sonya snickered.

"I didn't know you were coming either Sonya" Shirayuki commented.

"Yeah I've been hearing that a lot lately. Zen asked me to tag along when he found out that Haruka was coming. He wants me to make sure that he doesn't disrespect you in any way and there's only three people in this Castle the he's afraid of: the two princes and me." Sonya explained.

"And also because you know what this Kazuki kid looks like right?" Obi questioned.

"Actually he has no idea that I even know about the whole Kazuki situation. I told Mitsuhide not to tell him. But speaking of which…" Sonya told them as she reached into her pocket and took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Obi. He took the paper and unfolded it revealing a profile sketch of Kazuki. "It might come in handy. When I got back to my room last night after our talk I thought it would be a good idea to draw what Kazuki looks like just in case he might be back in Tanbarun" Sonya then mentioned.

"Sonya this is incredible. I didn't know you knew how to draw" Shirayuki commented surprised by the detail in Sonya's drawing.

"I taught myself how to draw a long time ago. I was always terrible at describing things so drawing makes it easier for me." Sonya explained. Just then Haruka was done talking to Zen and the group readied themselves for departure. The carriage took off along with Obi and Sonya on horseback. Zen and his attendants waved as they watched them leave. Hours later and a quick stop for Obi and Shirayuki to change into formal attire, the group arrived at the boarder between Tanbarun and Clarines. The four stood on the bridge that separated the two kingdoms.

"Lord Haruka, thank you. Please be safe traveling back" Shirayuki advised. Haruka gave her a stern look.

"Listen girl yo-"Haruka began, but was interrupted by Sonya clearing her throat.

"I think what you meant to say was Shirayuki am I correct?" Sonya questioned glaring at him.

"I meant I what I said now as I was saying. You were invited to Tanbarun's ball and ordered by Prince Izana to attend. Don't come back a disgrace" He continued. Shirayuki nodded in response. "The same goes for you Obi" Haruka said as he turned and gave him a stern look as well, which made Obi nervous.

"Sir!" Obi responded. Haruka then walked away.

"Oh Haruka come here for a minute." Sonya requested glaring at him. Haruka knew it was a bed idea and gulped before approaching her. Sonya took the document she had in her hand and hit him with it.

"Ow what was that for?" Haruka asked rubbing his head.

"Don't you dare speak to Shirayuki like that ever again do you understand me!" She yelled at him.

"She's nothing but a commoner" Haruka responded. Sonya hit him again.

"I don't care what social class she comes from. She is a lady and you will treat her with respect or so help me not only will I tell Prince Zen, but I will throw you right off this bridge!" She exclaimed gritting her teeth. "And while we're at it, be nicer to Obi. Need I remind you that you were the moron who hired him in the first place. You wouldn't have to deal with him if you just minded your own business and left the poor girl alone" She voiced. Both Shirayuki and Obi were surprised by Sonya's actions.

"Sonya's kinda scary when she's mad" Shirayuki whispered to Obi.

"I'll say. I don't think I've ever seen her like this before" he whispered back. Haruka went back to the carriage as Sonya remained on the bridge with the two.

"Listen Shirayuki, don't take him seriously. Just do your best. I can promise you that it's impossible to make more of a fool of yourself than Prince Raj does on a daily basis. The King happens to be really nice almost as nice as Zen so there's nothing to worry about with him. As for the whole Kazuki situation; Don't worry about that either. As long as he doesn't know you're in Tanbarun you'll be fine. Plus you have Obi with you. If I trust him with my life, there's no doubt in my mind not to trust him with yours. If we find out more information, I'll make sure to notify you as soon as possible." Sonya said then turning to look at Obi giving him a soft smile and a wink. Obi was taken back by her statement about him. He had no idea she had so much faith in him. "Well it's time for me to go. Have a safe trip you two" Sonya continued before walking back to the carriage. As she was walking away she paused in her tracks. "Oh before I forget. Can you do me a favor and relay a message to Sakaki for me? Tell him I said hello." She requested.

"Sure Sonya. No problem at all" Shirayuki replied.

"Thanks. Good luck Shirayuki. You as well Obi" Sonya told them as she continued walking back to the Carriage where she got on her horse. With that both Lord Haruka and Sonya were gone. Shirayuki and Obi continued their join onwards to the Tanbarun Castle.


	9. Chapter 9

Back in Clarines, Zen was determined to find Kazuki. He increased the number of soldiers patrolling the town and Mitsuhide sent Mihaya to help them. This had been going on since Shirayuki's departure two days ago and they still haven't found him.

"We've increased the number of soldiers in town and yet we still don't have any helpful information on Kazuki" Kiki stated.

"Yeah, I would like to know why he's after Shirayuki" Zen voiced.

"It's because he feels a connection with her" a feminine voice announced. The three looked towards the door and saw Sonya standing there in the doorway.

"What are you doing here Sonya? I thought you went to meet up with a friend?" Mitsuhide asked.

"I am. I was on my way and thought I'd check to see how things were going" She replied as she walked into the room.

"Wait…you know about the situation? Does that mean my brother knows too?" Zen questioned. Sonya shook her head in response.

"I told her about it." Mitsuhide admitted.

"Anyways back to what I was saying. Kazuki was a victim of human trafficking because of his "good looks" and heard about how Prince Moron wanted to make Shirayuki his concubine and feels she doesn't deserve to be "Stuck in a castle" and wants to take her back to the mountains in Tanbarun" Sonya explained.

"How do you know all of this anyways?" Zen asked.

"Well since I've had time off I decided to do my own little investigation on the kid and had a few friends of mine track him down. We managed to find him and thought we could find out where he's been staying here in Clarines, but we eventually lost him in the crowd." Sonya told him.

"You know what this Kazuki kid looks like?" Kiki asked.

"Yeah, he's apart of the Lions of the Mountain in Tanbarun. My parents used to do business with them all the time, so I saw Kazuki quite often" she stated.

"So, you can help us find him is what you're saying?" Zen questioned.

"Well I've been trying. Honestly, I wasn't going to mention about my knowledge of Kazuki until I actually had him, but he has a partner who's very skilled in combat so it's a lot harder than expected" Sonya mentioned. "No offense to you Mitsuhide, but I'm glad Obi was chosen to be Shirayuki's guard. She'll be safer with him." She continued.

"Hey! What's that's supposed to mean?" Mitsuhide whined. Sonya placed a hand on his shoulder as she stood next to him.

"Relax my love, It, wasn't meant to be an insult. I think you're quite the skilled swordsman, but Obi has the upper hand when it comes to plain hand to hand combat" Sonya told him. Mitsuhide blushed at the compliment. Sonya let go of him and began walking out of the room.

"Since you know now; I might as well tell you that the whole "lunch with a friend" was just a cover up so I can go look for Kazuki. I'll let you know if I find him or at least have some leads. See you later" Sonya announced as she waved back at them before walking out of the room.

"Well at least we have something helpful now" Kiki commented.

Later that day down by the port without anyone at the castle knowing, Mihaya met up with Kazuki. He told him about how Shirayuki was no longer in Clarines and is back in Tanbarun at the castle. Then suddenly Kazuki ordered Itoya to capture Mihaya, but he was able to get away by jumping in the water. Mihaya escaped back to the castle soaking wet and told Zen what had happened. Zen was furious with Mihaya but had no time to deal with him. He went to his brother and asked for his permission to go to Tanbarun and protect Shirayuki. It was late at night when he woke up his brother and Sonya whose always present when they talk.

"I can't let you go to Tanbarun" Izana told him.

"I figured you would say that. I plan on going anyway" Zen stated.

"Zen you're a prince. It's not proper for you to deal with this situation" Izana responded.

"I don't care! I'm going whether you give me permission or not" Zen said.

"I was the one who told her to go to Tanbarun. I'll send a correspondence letting them know about the current situation.

"That's not enough! Shirayuki is in Danger! I have to go help her!" Zen exclaimed.

"Prince Zen relax. Like I said before she's in good hands with Obi. He's not going to let anything happen to her I promise" Sonya said trying to calm the young prince who was aggravated by how his brother is handling the situation.

"I still need to go help her. I'm going to Tanbarun!" he voiced right before leaving his brother's office.

"I don't get why he woke us up when he was gonna go regardless of your response" Sonya commented as she began to walk out of the room in her pajamas covering her mouth as she let out a yawn.

"Sonya" Izana called.

"Don't worry I'm already on it. I'll try and leave before Prince Zen does." Sonya responded as she lifted her hand as a subtle wave. She knew what he was going to say. Izana usually uses the word Correspondence as a way of sending Sonya out to take care of things.


	10. Chapter 10

Sonya left right during the night and managed to make it to Tanbarun before Zen. She arrived at the castle. She was greeted by the guards who simply bowed in her presence knowing who she was already. One of the servants approached Sonya.

"Miss Sonya are you here to see the Prince and Master Sakaki?" he asked. Sonya shook her head.

"No, not at the moment, but I would like to know where Obi is if you don't mind. I have a message from Clarines I would like to deliver" Sonya responded.

"I believe he is with Miss Shirayuki in her room. I can escort you there if you would like" he offered.

"Yes please. I appreciate it" Sonya replied with a smile. She followed him to Shirayuki's room. He knocked on the door before opening the door. Both Shirayuki and Obi looked at the servant in the doorway.

"Sorry to disturb you, but Master Obi I have someone here who would like to speak to you" He said. He then moved to the side and let Sonya enter. Obi was surprised to see her here especially dressed the way she was. Since Sonya didn't want to wear her uniform she put on a green dress with a purple sash around her waist.

"Hiya I hope I'm not intruding on anything" Sonya greeted.

"Sonya you look beautiful in that dress" Shirayuki commented.

"What's going on Miss Sonya? Why are you here?" Obi asked.

"Shirayuki, do you mind if I borrow Obi for a moment?" Sonya asked her. Shirayuki nodded her head.

"Sure, I'll wait here for you" Shirayuki responded. Sonya took Obi by the hand and led him back to his room so they can talk privately. Obi blushed slightly at the contact.

"What's wrong?" Obi asked.

"My apologies I didn't want to worry her, but we have a bit of a problem." Sonya told him.

"What are you talking about? Does it involve this Kazuki kid?" he questioned. Sonya nodded his head.

"Apparently the idiot mountain monkey has been meeting up with Kazuki and feeding him information on Shirayuki's whereabouts for a quick buck. Now Kazuki know that she's here and plans on coming to get her" She explained.

"Then don't you think we shouldn't be leaving her alone when someone is about to kidnap her" Obi said concerned for Shirayuki's safety.

"Relax, they're traveling by boat, so it'll be awhile. If I had to guess they won't even get into port until probably late tomorrow night" Sonya commented.

"So, will you be staying here or did you come to just to warn us?" Obi asked.

"I was instructed to apprehend Kazuki so I guess so. Don't worry I'll be surveying the area while you keep an eye on Shirayuki" Sonya replied.

"How are you going to survey the area wearing a dress like that?" Obi questioned.

"I brought other clothes. I just wanted to wear something court appropriate while inside the Castle. I'm not here on official business so I didn't want to wear my uniform" Sonya told him. "Although I'm regretting that decision because I can barely walk in this dress. Doesn't help that I'm wearing heels that are doing a number on my feet" Sonya continued.

"Are you putting all this effort into looking beautiful for Sakaki?" Obi questioned teasingly. Sonya blushed in response.

"N-No not at all…you think I look beautiful?" Sonya asked. Now it was Obi's turn to blush.

"well you are wearing a pretty dress" He responded avoiding the question. Sonya giggled in response.

"Alright well I'm gonna go now. I should probably notify the higher ups of the situation before while we still have time" Sonya said as she turned to walk out of the room but stumbled over her own feet and tripped. Obi caught her before she could fall.

"Thanks Obi" Sonya said with a smile. Obi held her in his arm for a moment longer before letting her go.

"No problem. Be careful Miss Sonya" Obi told her.

"ha-ha thanks I'll try, but I make no promises" Sonya said right before she left. Obi looked at the hand he used to catch Sonya and clenched it.

' _what is this feeling? That certainly wasn't the first time I held her.'_ He thought as he continued to stare at his hand.

"Obi! Are you and Sonya done talking? We have to meet with Prince Raj soon!" Shirayuki called for him taking him out of his train of thought.

"Yes Miss. She just left!" Obi called back. Obi looked at his hand once more then went back into Shirayuki's room.

"What did Sonya want? Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Yes, everything's fine. She just came to tell me something and went off to see Sakaki" Obi told her. He didn't tell her everything because he didn't want to alarm her, but now he plans on keeping a watchful eye on Shirayuki. The three spend the morning in the herb garden. Obi gave the two some space and watched from a short distance. Just then Sakaki walked into the garden looking for Prince Raj.

"Thankfully they're spending time in the herb garden today" Obi voiced knowing it was Sakaki without even looking.

"Oh, is that what they're doing?" he questioned. He watched the two along with Obi.

"Prince Raj has changed a lot and it's all thanks to Shirayuki. She has a mysterious charisma and a kind intensity with a manner that disarms people" Sakaki continued.

"Funny I remember you saying the same thing about me at one-point Sakaki" a female voice stated. Both Sakaki and Obi turned to see Sonya.

"Miss Sonya?" Sakaki said confused.

"You two join mind if I join you, do you?" Sonya asked.

"No, not at all" Sakaki responded.

"Fine by me" Obi chimed in. Sonya walked up and stood in between the two.

"You look beautiful in that dress Miss Sonya" Sakaki complimented.

"Thank you" Sonya responded looking up at Sakaki with a smile. Obi glanced at the two for a second. Part of him was jealous at the fact that Sakaki could make her happy so easily. He then diverted his gaze back to the prince and Shirayuki.

"So, will you be attending the ball tomorrow evening then?" Sakaki asked.

"oh god I hope not. You know I don't do well at balls. Just wearing this dress along makes me a nervous wreck" Sonya replied.

"There's no need to worry. I'll be with you the whole time with Prince Raj is with Shirayuki" Sakaki stated.

' _Well I guess it wouldn't be so bad if Sakaki's with me. Obi will be there too, but he'll be busy watching Shirayuki and I can't take his attention away from her'_ she thought for a moment. _'Sakaki has always been there for me even after I decided to remain loyal to Prince Izana and stay in Clarines'_ She continued to think.

"Alright if you promise to stay by my side the entire night then I'll go" Sonya told him.

"It would be my honor Miss Sonya" He stated. Sonya smiled at him. She then looked over at Obi who was still watching Shirayuki. She remembered watching him beg Zen into letting him be her guard for this occasion.

' _Master if I win this fight please let me be Shirayuki's attendant. I'll protect her for you. Allow me to take your place by her side. You trusted me enough to be her guard. So, this will only be an extension of my job'_ Obi voiced within her memory. Sonya knew that there was more to it then just an extension if his job.

' _Obi did you really want to come here to guard her as her attendant or is there something more you're not telling me?'_ Sonya thought as she continued to watch him.


	11. Chapter 11

It was the night of the ball in Tanbarun. People from all over the kingdom were arriving. Sonya was outside in the courtyard with some of Guards. She was completely unaware that Kazuki was already within the Castle walls. Kazuki managed to find Shirayuki's room and had her tied up with his coat while Obi tried to fight off Itoya. Shirayuki screamed for help but was muffled by Kazuki's hand. Itoya eventually hit Obi in the back of the neck knocking him unconscious. Rona and Eugena were in the hall when they heard the commotion and entered the room to find Kazuki and Itoya leaving out of the window with Shirayuki while Obi was on the floor still unconscious. The two left the room in a hurry to find some help. They managed to come across Sonya with Sakaki.

"Miss Sonya! Sakaki! We have a problem! Shirayuki has been Kidnapped!" Rona yelled. Both Sonya and Sakaki looked at her in shock.

"What? Where's Obi?" Sonya asked in a panic.

"He's unconscious in her room" Eugena told her.

"Sakaki go alert the guards. I'll check in Obi then go after Shirayuki" Sonya shouted as she raced over to her room to grab medicine and quickly change out of her dress. When she got to Shirayuki's room Obi was still on the floor. She picked him up holding him by the waist as she wrapped his arm over her shoulders. She placed him in the bed and unbutton his jacket to get a better look at him. She felt the back of his neck and noticed it was a little red and slightly swollen. She placed some ointment on a bandage and placed it on the inflamed area. She then took out a piece of paper and wrote a note for when he woke up. After that she took off to find Shirayuki. An hour later Obi regained conscious and was surrounded by a maid and the twins.

"You woke up" Rona stated worried about him and tears welling in her eyes.

"Where's Shirayuki?" Obi asked as he looked around the room.

"She's gone. Those guys took her. Miss Sonya went after them after she took care of you" Eugena told him.

"I'm so sorry. If we didn't distract you, those guys would have been stopped" Rona said with guilt clear in her voice. Obi could sense it.

"Don't feel guilty. You were only trying to help" Obi responded trying to make her feel better. "Now tell me, how long was I out?" Obi asked looking over at the maid.

"About an hour. Miss Sonya left this for you. She told me to give it to you when you woke up" She said handing him the note. Obi took the note and read it.

 _Obi,_

 _If you're reading this, then I'm glad you're finally awake._

 _I'm sorry that I couldn't help you stop the two from taking Shirayuki._

 _By the time you read this, I've gone after them. I promise to bring Shirayuki back._

 _Prince Zen and the others should be at the Castle any minute now (I forgot to mention_

 _That the other day that he was coming whoops). Please stay and rest and let me take care_

 _Of this. You took a pretty good hit the back of the neck from what I noticed. I put some medicine on it while you were out cold, so it might feel a little better now, but I don't want you aggravating it just in case. Knowing you however, I know you won't listen and come try_

 _to rescue her. In that case, be careful._

 _~Sonya_

Obi folded the note and placed it next to him on the nightstand. Later on, Obi ventured off to save Shirayuki himself. By the time Zen had arrived at the castle Obi was already deep in the forest. He spotted hove prints on the ground and followed them thinking they would lead him to Shirayuki. He was somewhat close. He ended up running into Itoya and tackled him to a tree with a knife pointed at his throat.

"You get to tell me where Shirayuki is" Obi demanded.

"What? You mean you didn't take her?" Itoya questioned as he struggled in Obi grip. "They're both gone. Her and Kazuki" he then told him. Then he noticed a mark on the tree across from them.

"It's a claw?! Let go of me we have to go save them" Itoya pleaded.

"What do you mean?" Obi questioned still pinning Itoya against the tree.

"There's no time to explain. If I don't tell my crew it'll be too late" Itoya stated.

"If this is an act it's pretty convincing" Obi told him not really believing him.

"Obi!" a feminine voice called out. Obi turned around to see Sonya with her hair partially pulled back wearing a black sleeveless shirt and a blue scarf with green shorts and white knee-high socks and brown ankle boots and a knife hustler around her right leg and a beige belt that had a small sack on the back.

"Sonya It's you" Itoya uttered surprised.

"This isn't an act Obi he's telling the truth. Shirayuki and Kazuki are in the hands of the Claw of the Sea now." Sonya briefly explained. "Lileigh and Kilik spotted members of the Claw in the area and are currently going after them. I came here to get you." She continued.

Obi took the knife and stabbed it into the tree next to Itoya's head.

"Itoya this is very important. How long ago did you notice they were missing?" Sonya questioned as she approached them.

"Just a few moments ago" Itoya responded. Sonya got annoyed and grabbed Itoya by the collar of his shirt.

"Minutes Itoya! I need minutes!" Sonya exclaimed into his face with annoyance.

"About 15 minutes ago" Itoya replied somewhat fearful of her. Sonya let go and started muttering some calculations to herself.

"Their already more than halfway to the port already." Sonya stated.

"How do you know that?" Obi asked.

"That's not important right now." Sonya said as she gave him an empathetic look. "Oh, before I forget." Sonya as she grabbed Itoya again. "If you ever hurt one of my friends ever again I'll be the one to put a knife in your neck do you understand me" Sonya questioned harshly. Itoya gulped and nodded his head. Sonya then pushed him away. "Now go make yourself useful and let the chief know his daughter is in the hands of a snake" Sonya said coldly before she took off.

"I liked it better when she was just an herbalist. Ever since that girl became an assassin she's been nothing but ruthless" Itoya commented. Obi didn't say anything. He somewhat agreed with him though. Sonya had changed a lot since she became more than just an herbalist. It only made him worry about her safety even more. Even though Obi wanted to go with Sonya, part of him still didn't trust Itoya and decided it was best to go with him.


	12. Chapter 12

Obi followed Itoya on horseback to meet with the other members of the Lions. He worried about Sonya, but more importantly, he worried about the well being of his mistress. However, if anything happened to either one of them, he would never forgive himself. Obi and Itoya met up with the Lions and Itoya quickly briefed them on the situation before going after the Claw. Eventually, with the help of Kihal's gift for Shirayuki, Zen was able to find Obi. He got off his horse and threw himself at his master's mercy.

"Master forgive me, I failed" Obi said with an unsettling raspy voice. Zen then hit Obi on the top of the head.

"I'm sorry too. That was from Kiki and Mitsuhide" Zen told him.

"Obi, have you seen Miss Sonya? She disappeared right after Shirayuki was kidnapped" Sakaki asked calling out to Obi.

"She went after the claw because she thinks they have Shirayuki" Obi told him.

"Wait Sonya is here in Tanbarun? When did that happen?" Zen questioned.

"I thought you sent her Master, she came saying she had an important message from Clarines. I assumed it was from you." Responded. Zen shook his head.

"No, I told my brother that I'd come personally although he did mention he was sending correspond…." Zen paused for a second when he realized something then smacked his face with the palm of his hand. "Of course, how did I not notice sooner" Zen finished. Obi looked at him confused.

"Do you think she'll be okay? This is the Claw were talking about. What if she got captured already?" Itoya questioned. This didn't help Obi's concern for her.

"She'll be fine. Little Sonya is a high-class assassin after all. She even might have already rescued Shirayuki by the time we catch up to her" the commander of the Lions pointed out. Obi smirked at the statement but hid it, so no one would notice. The group eventually moved on and headed to the port. The group eventually came across Sonya's partners Lileigh and Kilik whom seemed to have a worried look on their faces.

"What are you two doing here? Aren't you two from Clarines?" Zen asked.

"Sonya asked us for help, so we came with her. Our apologies Prince Zen, we were on the trail of the Claw, but they spotted us and got away. Sonya managed to stay on their tail so she's still going after them." Lileigh explained.

"Sonya told us to tell either you that when she got a glimpse of Shirayuki, she didn't seem injured" Kilik reported

"That's good to hear. What about Sonya? Is she alright?" Zen asked worried about the second woman he cares about, however not in a romantic way like with Shirayuki

"She says not to worry about her" Lileigh said.

"If I know Sonya that's code for I'm injured, but it doesn't matter" Mitsuhide commented.

"How injured is she?" Obi asked.

"We only know about the cut on her forearm from a sword during a fight, but she put medicine on it and we got separated so we don't know how she is at the moment" Kilik replied.

"Prince Zen, I'm worried about Sonya. We've never dealt with the Claw of the Sea personally. She's too concerned with getting Shirayuki back that she's risking her own safety" Lileigh confessed.

"Yeah I might have been the cause of that. I was stressed out myself worrying about Shirayuki's safety that I made a scene in front of her and my brother and I know how much she cares about me so it's no surprise that she would go to great lengths to bring her back to me" Zen responded.

"Master" Obi called out with concern lingering in his voice.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine Obi. I trust in Sonya's ability to take care of herself" Zen stated. Lileigh and Kilik tagged along as they continued their way to the Port. Kilik traveled through the trees and Lileigh rode on horseback with Obi.

"Hey Obi, you seem to care a lot about Sonya. When I first met you looked worried about what we were doing. I'm gonna assume the two of you are really close am I right?" she questioned.

"I wonder" Obi responded vaguely not really knowing how to answer her.

"Well I don't know if this counts for anything, but she really cares about you Obi. She was really mad at Itoya for hurting you. It didn't help that she was mad at herself as well. She's convinced this whole situation is her fault. I haven't seen her cry since that incident with you all those years ago" Lileigh told him. The more she talked the more worried Obi got about Sonya. The group eventually found the port town that was taken over by the Claw and saw one of their ships at the dock. Obi went to find information while looking for Sonya at the same time. He had no luck finding Sonya, but he was able to confirm the presence of Kazuki boarding the boat. While coming up with a plan, Kiki offered to board the ship disguised as a criminal in order to keep Shirayuki company while out in the sea. The rest followed behind on naval ships. They followed the claw to a Cavern on an island in the middle of the sea where one of the boats crashed into theirs. A fight broke out. Shirayuki tried to use the chaos to escape from Umihebi, the leader of the Claw, but was quickly captured. A knife appeared hitting the weapon that was placed close to Shirayuki's face. She then bit Umihebi arm trying to release herself from her grip. Umihebi got mad and swung at Shirayuki but was stopped by the sudden appearance of Sonya who had a tight grip on her fist.

"I don't think so" Sonya commented with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Sonya!" Shirayuki shouted relieved to see her. Just then Obi jumped down in front of her.

"and Obi!" She then exclaimed relieved to see him as well. Umihebi broke free and attacked Sonya whom blocked and countered.

"Obi! Get Shirayuki out of here!" Sonya shouted. Obi nodded and took Shirayuki upstairs to the outside.

"Stay here Miss. Everything's gonna be okay now" Obi said before returning back to the fight. The battle soon came to an end once Sonya had all the members of the Claw bound with Razor wire. The group with the exception of Obi went upstairs to meet up with Shirayuki.

"I'm pleased to announce that it's all over" Zen announced with a smile on his face.

"Thank goodness" Shirayuki responded with tears threatening to fall. Sonya came running and embraced Shirayuki.

"Shirayuki! Thank god you're alright! I'm so sorry I let this happen!" Sonya exclaimed as she held her. She then let go and got a good look at her. "Here I brought some medicine just in case. Let me put some on that cut on your cheek" Sonya said taking out the tiny jar of medicine from the pouch on her belt.

"Sonya, thank you for helping us" Zen said to her.

"It was nothing. I was only following the orders I was given." Sonya replied as she put some medicine on Shirayuki's face then placed a small bandage over it. "There that should do it" She then commented.

"Where's Obi?" Shirayuki asked noticed he wasn't with them.

"He's still down there with everyone else making sure none of the members of the Claw make an escape. Don't worry he's fine" Sonya replied to her. It was finally over. Shirayuki was safe now.


	13. Chapter 13

Now that Shirayuki was rescued, it was time to return to the castle. The commander of the Lions, who also happens to be Shirayuki's father invited everyone to stay in the village for the night to rest. Shirayuki sat and reconnected with her father along with Zen and Kazuki. Kiki, Sonya, and Mitsuhide stood on the balcony of a treehouse that over looked the village.

"I'll admit I was skeptical at first, but this village seems like it's thriving" Mitsuhide commented as he looked out to the village.

"Yeah, a lot has changed since the last time I was here. It's nice to see everyone doing so well" Sonya commented with a smile.

"That's right, you grew up here didn't you?" he asked.

"Well actually I grew up in the neighboring village, however I did spend a lot of time here" Sonya replied. "I'll admit things here are a little eccentric, but regardless I got the pleasure of meeting some great people here" she continued.

"Speaking of eccentric; got any idea where Obi disappeared to?" Mitsuhide questioned. Sonya shook her head in response.

"He said he was going to check out the surrounding area just in case" Kiki chimed in. Sonya sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Ugh knowing him, he's just using that as an excuse to go sulk in the forest alone" Sonya stated then began to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Mitsuhide asked calling out to her.

"I'm gonna find Obi!" Sonya announced as she continued walking. She ran into the forest shouted Obi's name. She kept going until Obi finally appeared behind her.

"You called Miss Sonya?" He questioned. She heard his voice and turned around to see him standing there.

"Oh good, I'm glad I found you" Sonya said relieved as she approached him. She then noticed the look on his face. It was a look of disappointment. Usually she would be confused by this, but that was the expression she was expecting to see on him.

"What's with that look? Obi what's wrong?" She asked even though she knew the answer, she hoped that he would open up to her.

"I'm sorry Sonya, I failed. I wasn't able to protect Shirayuki. Please forgive me. Please." Obi begged which tugged at her heart.

"Obi, none of this was your fault. I…" Sonya was cut off by Obi cupping his hand over her mouth.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I disagree" Obi told her while still holding her mouth shut. Sonya looked at him annoyed then grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand off her mouth.

"Well I disagree with you!" She voiced. Obi looked at her surprised. "Be honest with me. Is it me you want forgiveness from or is it yourself?" She continued.

"Sonya you put so much trust and faith in me to protect Shirayuki and I let her get kidnapped." Obi stated.

"So? One mistake isn't going to make me trust you any less. No matter what happens I still trust you with my life as well as Shirayuki's. Honestly if there's anyone that should apologize it's me. I should have been there to help you instead I got so roped up worrying about getting ready for the ball" She told him.

"No, I shouldn't have let myself get distracted so easily" Obi countered. "Miss Lileigh told me everything while we were our way to rescue Shirayuki. What happened wasn't your fault. However, you shouldn't have gone off on your own either. Everyone was worried about you, especially Master" Obi scolded.

"Well I wanted to get Shirayuki back as soon as possible so I had no choice" She responded. There was a moment of silence between them.

"With all that was going on I never got the chance to ask, but how's your neck? Does it hurt at all?" Sonya then asked breaking the silence.

"No, I'm fine. The medicine you put on it while I was out did the trick so thanks" he replied.

"You're heavy by the way" Sonya giggled. "I had to carry you to your bed since I couldn't just leave you on the floor like that" She then said. Obi chuckled in response.

"How's your arm? Kilik mentioned you were injured in a fight against some members of the Claw" Obi questioned as he eyes glided over to her arm that was injured and wandered up to the scar near her shoulder from when she got kidnapped years ago and he rescued her.

"Yeah, I got grazed by a sword on my forearm. Luckily it wasn't too bad, and I was able to put medicine on it right away" She responded and then showed him her arm. The look of disappointment returned on Obi's face.

"Oh don't tell me you're upset because I got injured. C'mon Obi like that wasn't going to happen and don't even dare apologize for not protecting me because I don't want to hear it!" She exclaimed. He was a little surprised that she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Obi...Obi!" A feminine voice shouted. Both Obi and Sonya turned to see Shirayuki running towards them.

"Obi I'm glad I found you" She said then noticed Sonya standing there. "Oh, Sonya I didn't know you were out here as well." She then commented.

"What's wrong Shirayuki?" Sonya asked wondering what she was doing out here.  
"I came looking for you Obi. Zen told me where to find you" Shirayuki responded. Obi looked at her clearly still mad at himself for what had happened to her.

'What's wrong?" She asked him.

"I'm sor.." Obi began but then got cut off by Sonya. "He's fine don't mind him. How are you feeling Shirayuki? Were you able to rest?" Sonya asked. She didn't want to hear Obi's unnecessary apologies.

"Yes and thank you Sonya for the medicine. The scratch healed up nicely" She replied.

"Good and it's no problem. I'm just glad I could help. Sorry I wasn't able to help sooner. You wouldn't have had to go through that had I been more attentive to my duties" Sonya stated. Obi looked at her and hated the fact that she was taking the blame for this.

"No it's okay. You're only human. No one is perfect." Shirayuki told her. "Obi there's something I want to ask you" She then turned her attention to him.

"Yes Miss. What is it?" Obi asked in response.

"The next time I come to Tanbarun. You won't mind being my guard again would you?" She asked. Obi was thrown off by that. "Is that a yes?" She then questioned with a smile. "I'll be counting on you" She then commented as she bowed at bow. Obi then smirked seeing how hard she was trying to make him feel better.

"I'll keep that in mind Miss. Please stop bowing now" Obi replied. Shirayuki stood up and smiled at him.

"Well isn't that nice. Shirayuki do you mind if I have a moment alone with Obi?" Sonya asked her.

"Not at all. I'll meet you back at the village" Shirayuki said as she turned and made her way back.

"See she's certainly not disappointed in you so there's no need for you to apologize." Sonya told him.

Then she bowed at him. "Please have more faith in yourself Obi. We all believe in you, especially me" Sonya said.

"Okay why are you bowing? It's not like I'm a prince you know" Obi commented.

"I know. You're more like a knight in my opinion" Sonya said with a smile. Obi was taken back by that.

"You…You think of me as a knight?" He questioned still surprised by her statement. She nodded her head.

"Of course. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you always being there to protect me" She told him.

"Sonya…." He uttered under his breath. No matter what happened, she always thought so highly of him.

"No come on. Let's get back to the village. We're missing out on the party" Sonya mentioned. Obi hesitated not really wanting to go back just yet. Sonya could see that and knew one thing he couldn't pass up.

"I know for a fact that they produce high quality liquor. It's quite rare to find that outside of castle walls you know." Sonya nudged. "I'll even play one of your games if you promise to stop sulking for the rest of the night" She continued trying to compromise with him. Obi smiled in response. Just like his mistress, she tried so hard to make him happy and knew just how to do it too.

"Alright, you have a deal. Let's go back" Obi said. Sonya giggled at him.

"I knew the liquor would win you over. You could never resist when it comes to having liquor" Sonya commented as the walked back to the village.

"It's not just that you know" Obi commented in response. Now she was confused.

"Huh? Then what else?" She asked.

"I'm not telling. It's a secret" He told her. Sonya pouted which made Obi laugh.

"Oh come on. That's not fair! Tell me!" Sonya begged.

"Nope. It's not a secret if I tell you" Obi replied. He enjoyed poking fun at her.

"Fine then." She said as she walked ahead of him.

' _It's you Sonya'_ Obi though as he watched her from behind with a smile on his face. _'Thank you for making me feel better'_


	14. Chapter 14

The group only stayed in the village for that night. The next morning it was time for them to leave. Everyone gathered at the gate to see them off.

"Hey Sonya, come here for a second" the chief called out to her. Sonya nodded and walked over to him.

"I just want to thank you for taking care of my daughter. Please continue to look after her for me while in Clarines" He requested. Sonya smiled in response.

"Well of course It's my pleasure. I'm just glad that she's safe now. Anyways, Shirayuki and I took some time to mix up some medicine since I noticed you were running low. I also put together a few first aid kits to take with you when you travel. Thank you for letting us spend the night. I didn't realize how much I missed this place until I came back" Sonya told him.

"Well you and Shirayuki should stay with us then. Everyone here misses you and it would be nice to have Shirayuki here as well" Kazuki offered. Sonya giggled and patted Kazuki on the head since he was shorter than her.

"Sorry, but like Shirayuki, my place is also in Clarines" Sonya replied. Kazuki seemed disappointed by that. "But I promise to come visit once in a while. How about that?" she then said countering his previous offer. Kazuki's eyes lit up.

"Really? You promise?" Kazuki questioned in disbelief. Sonya nodded in response.

"and If his highness lets me, I'll even bring Shirayuki with me next time I come to Tanbarun" Sonya stated.

"We'll be waiting then" Kazuki told her. After that, they parted ways and the group headed back to the castle. There they were greeted by Prince Raj, who seemed really eager to see Shirayuki arrive safely.

Later that night, everyone was getting ready for the ball. Both Shirayuki and Sonya put on different gowns from the ones they were originally going to wear. Shirayuki's hair was pulled back and tucked into a ribbon that was tied in her hair and wore a pink gown decorated with flowers and white gloves that barely touched her elbows. Sonya had her hair pulled back with the hair clip she received from Obi years ago with a white rose pinned next to it and she wore a white and blue short sleeved gown with gold trim around the collar and waist of the dress. Shirayuki walked out of her room carefully and was greeted by Obi who had his back turned to her. He turned slightly revealing that he was in the same suit he wore the night she was kidnapped.

"I'll accompany you miss, if you don't mind" he greeted with a smirk. Shirayuki's eyes lit up as she agreed and walked with him to the ball.

"Master said he would hide his rank so he can attend the ball" He stated.

"Really? I don't know if I should be relieved or more nervous" Shirayuki replied. As they made their way to the ball, Rona and Eugena watched them from the corner.

"Come on, let's follow them" Rona stated.

"How about we not Rona" Eugena commented.

"nonsense let's go" Rona urged.

"Rona!" a female voice exclaimed in a hushed tone which startled both of the twins. They turned around to see Sonya.

"Oh Sonya, I didn't know you were attending the ball. Don't you hate these events?" Eugena questioned.

"Yes I do, but that's not the point right now. Rona you promised me you would be on your best behavior tonight. So why are you spying on Shirayuki?" She questioned.

"It's just that…Shirayuki belongs here. She makes Raj happy and you belong here too Sonya. I haven't seen Sakaki happy like this in years. He still loves you and I know deep down you feel the same way. You're actually fun to be around too. You always tell us the things that Raj doesn't bother telling us because he thinks were too young to worry about it" Rona confessed. Sonya was actually taken back by this, but then smiled. She then crouched down so she could look both of them in the eyes.

"As much as I enjoyed being here with everyone. I just don't belong here anymore. My place is to aide and protect Prince Izana back in Clarines. Don't get me wrong there are times where I miss being here, but my home is in Clarines." She told them.

"Father gave you a title, when you left years ago. Will you promise to use it so you can come visit?" Eugena asked.

"Of course. How can I say no to the second prince of Tanbarun?" Sonya teased giving Eugena a playful wink. As the night went on everyone was gathered in the ballroom watching Prince Raj dance with Shirayuki. Zen and his aides watched from above as he looked down seemingly jealous that it was Raj dancing with her instead of him. Obi watched from the floor leaning on a pillar with a smirk on his face. Sonya walked up to Obi carful not to trip on her gown.

"I'm glad everything turned out okay" She said as she stood next to him and watched the two dance.

"Yeah" He said as he kept his eyes on Shirayuki. Sonya then glanced over at Obi. This was really the first time she got a good look at him dressed so formally. It was different from what she was used to.

"You know, that uniform really suits you Obi" She complimented. Obi looked over at her surprised by the compliment. That's when he looked at her. This was also his first time seeing her in a ball gown. A pink tint emerged on his face as he continued to look at her, but then quickly looked away as he realized he was basically staring at her.

"Oh um thanks." Obi replied as he scratched the back of his head. Sonya turned and looked at the big glass window and saw her reflection. At the moment she could feel her insecurities hit her and Obi seemed to notice.

"You okay Miss Sonya?" he questioned.

"Yeah I'm fine I just got a glimpse of myself in the reflection of the window" She replied.

"This is so embarrassing, I hate wearing dresses like this. I look ridiculous" She continued as she covered her face with her hands.

"I don't know why you're so embarrassed. I think you look beautiful in that dress" Obi told her. Sonya blushed and wasn't expected that from him.

"You…You really think so Obi?" She questioned.

"Of course, you know I wouldn't lie to you Sonya" he replied with a genuine smile on his face which in turn made Sonya smile. Then she realized she had something to show him.

"Oh I almost forgot. I have a surprise for you" She told him. Obi looked at her confused. She turned her back to him and pointed to her hair.

"Look what I had the maid put in my hair" She mentioned. Obi looked and saw the hairpin and was surprised to see her wearing it.

"Yeah, it definitely looks better on you" he commented. She turned back around and smiled at him.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" She questioned.

"Sure" he replied.

"Do you like Shirayuki?" She asked. Obi was shocked by the questioned. "The reason I'm asking is because the way you reacted during the who incident with the Claw. I saw the look in your eyes and the way you practically begged Zen to let you be her guard was kinda suspicious" She then explained.

"Yeah, I like mistress" he replied looking over at Shirayuki with a small smile on his face.

"But that's as far as my feelings go for her. She could never compare to someone else I know" Obi then commented. Now Sonya was confused. She had no idea he had feelings for another girl as well.

"Well who's this other girl that Shirayuki can't compare to?" She asked.

"If you don't already know then it's a secret" Obi teased. Sonya pouted in response.

"That's not fair Obi, you brought it up" She complained. Obi laughed at her response.

"Sonya" a male voice called out to her. Sonya turned to see who it was and saw Sakaki approaching her.

"Oh Sakaki. I thought you were gonna watch the Prince all night" Sonya noted.

"Well he's with Shirayuki so I came to see if you wanted to share a dance with me?" he asked.

"Oh that's okay. I think I'll just stay here with Obi" She replied not really wanting to dance.

"It's okay Sonya. I put on steel toed boots so you can step on my feet all you want" he told her knowing her reason for declining.

"Sakaki that's not funny. Now I just feel worse" Sonya whined burying her head in her hands again.

"Oh come on Sonya, Shirayuki doesn't know how to dance either and she's doing rather well dancing with the prince" Obi mentioned chiming in.

"It's not like we haven't danced together before" Sakaki noted. Sonya looked over at Obi to seek his approval.

"Go on, I'll be right here for the rest of the night" Obi told her reassuringly. She looked back at Sakaki and grabbed his hand.

"Alright but remember, you have to lead" Sonya told him. The two walked over to the dance floor leaving Obi by himself. He glanced at the two dancing together and was almost jealous that she actually went with him. Part of him was now wishing that he said no so she'll stay with him a little bit longer. Another part of him worried that she still had feelings for Sakaki. He admitted to her that he likes Shirayuki, but he never mentioned why. The reason was because she reminded him of her. The girl he first became attached to all those years ago.


	15. Chapter 15

It was time to return to Clarines. They rode on horseback with the exception of Sonya who preferred to travel on foot through the trees. It was night time and all of the sudden the sky opened up and it started to rain. Everyone stopped for a moment.

"Well this rain came suddenly" Obi commented holding his hand out to feel the drops on his palm.

"We're close to the border, but we won't make it back to the castle any time soon" Kiki noted.

"There's an Inn up ahead. Think we should check it out?" Mitsuhide asked.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea" Zen replied.

"Eh I'll just keep going. A little rain never stopped me" Sonya said as she continued jumping from tree to tree until she slipped and lost her balance on a we branch and fell to the ground.

"Ow don't worry I'm okay" Sonya said lying on the ground then getting up and wiping of the mud from her clothes. "Well since you guys are going to the Inn. I'm gonna take care of some business. I'll meet up with you guys later" Sonya announced before she took off.

"Where's she going?" Shirayuki asked.

"Well if I know Sonya she's probably going to the club that's in town. She may hate balls, but that girl loves to party" Obi commented.

"Really? I didn't know Sonya was that type of girl" Mitsuhide chimed in.

"Oh yeah, I didn't believe it either until I saw for myself. It's almost like she's a whole different person" Obi noted. They made it to the Inn and were able to get two separate rooms for the guys and girls and even got to take a bath. Zen and Obi were alone in a bath together.

"So Master I heard Miss Kiki and Shirayuki are in the bath next door" Obi mentioned knowing what to talk about. Zen's face turned red and he dunked himself underwater for a moment then reemerged from the water angry.

"WHY WOULD YOU EVEN BRING THAT UP!?" Zen yelled at him.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't know there were rules on what to talk about in here" Obi responded not really effected by Zen's anger. "Maybe this will be better. I feel bad that Mitsuhide didn't get to join us" he continued.

"We couldn't all be unarmed at the same time. When they're with me, it doesn't matter where we are, they're working" Zen noted.

"Well I know Miss Kiki and Mitsuhide's responsibility is you, but the way they act together makes me think they're betrothed" Obi joked.

"Obi, what is with your choice of topics?" Zen questioned confused and slightly annoyed with him.

"I thought it would be nice to talk about them" he responded.

"If they were betrothed I certainly wouldn't be upset. If they say they're happy and I can see it's true. I think that would be wonderful" Zen stated.

"How can you see it's true though?" Obi questioned not really following.

"Same goes for you" Zen noted not really answering Obi. "I see how you are with Sonya. I wouldn't be surprised if you two got betrothed as well" he teased. Obi was surprised by his words and didn't really know how to respond.

"Well this is kind of awkward. When ever I think of you saying such sweet words. I won't be able to help but picture you naked as well" Obi stated. Zen's face turned red with embarrassment and anger.

"You're Impossible! Just forget it. I'm done with you" Zen said as he crossed his arms and looked away from Obi.

"Way too late for that. Eventually I'm gonna think about it" Obi stated. Zen looked back over at Obi and noticed the scar on his chest and looked at it with concern on his face. "Well then Master, shall we find a spot where we can peek in on the ladies!" Obi exclaimed as he stood up.

"STOP THAT!" Zen shouted at him. Obi chuckled in response.

"Calm down Master I was just kidding. You're so gullible" Obi commented.

Later on they were gathered around a table in the restaurant of the Inn. The waitress brought out the food and Obi requested for her to bring him something nice and spicy. They ate what was on the table and seemed to enjoy it.

'This food is good. You can't get food like this back at the castle" Zen commented.

"Why don't you just have them make it then?" Kiki questioned.

"If I have the recipe I could probably make it" Obi suggested. "She could too" he then commented gesturing to Shirayuki.

"I guess I could give it a shot" Shirayuki commented.

"I could help if you want" Mitsuhide offered.

"Really? I didn't know you could cook" Shirayuki told him.

"Yeah I we take turns in the kitchen back then" Mitsuhide mentioned.

"Miss Sonya is a good cook too. Maybe you could get her to make some of this food" Obi mentioned.

"Excuse me sir" an unknown female voice beckoned Mitsuhide. He turned to see the woman they saw when they were checking in. Obi happened to know the woman and watched her carefully "We met earlier checking in to the Inn" she mentioned.

"Yes. You were caught in the rain as well" Mitsuhide replied. The woman got close to him and was basically in his face.

"Well I think you're quite handsome and was wondering if you're free tonight" She questioned flirtatiously.

"No No I'm busy…. Kiki help me out" Mitsuhide mutter to his partner. The woman then looked at Kiki.

"Oh sorry I didn't know he was yours" She said. Kiki took one sip of her tea before she responded.

"That man isn't mine." Kiki told her.

"Kiki" Mitsuhide whined.

"That's because he's mine" another girl said as she approached the group. It just so happened to be Sonya. She wrapped her arms around Mitsuhide shoulders from behind.

"Hi darling sorry I was gone for so long" Sonya said and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry I'm only trying to help you out. Just play along" She quietly whispered in his ear.

"I'm glad you're here honey I missed you" Mitsuhide said playing along with her and took her hand and kissed it. Obi watched the pair and almost seemed jealous of Mitsuhide.

"Oh well hey his he available?" She questioned gesturing to Zen who almost choked on his food.  
"That's my younger brother and I hate to disappoint but he's taken by a very beautiful girl" Sonya told her causing Shirayuki to blush.

"Oh that's a shame. That guy over there is dangerous so I don't want him" She said pointing to Obi.

"How can you tell?" Obi questioned.

"I'm not trying to brag, but I have a good eye for men" She said as she took a stem of grapes from the fruit bowl on the table. "Well I'll see you around handsome" She waved as she walked away. Sonya made sure she was gone before she released herself from Mitsuhide.

"Please she doesn't know a good man if he punched her in the face" Sonya muttered. She looked over at Obi and silently mouthed _"What's she doing here?"_ to which he replied with a simple shoulder shrug.

"You're timing was perfect Sonya, Thanks for saving me" Mitsuhide said expressing his gratitude.

"No problem. It was actually kind of fun in a way" Sonya said. "Sorry if it was too much I just wanted to make it believable" she continued.

"No you're fine" he responded. Sonya pulled a chair over and sat at the table.

"So besides that troll of a woman. What did I miss?" Sonya asked.

"I'm actually gonna go outside to see if it stopped raining" Obi said as he got up from the table. Sonya watched him walk away knowing that he was really just going to meet up with her. When he got outside the woman was sitting there eating the grapes that she took from the table and mumbled about how beautiful the stars were. Obi didn't say anything but glanced over at her, not really happy to see her here in Tanbarun. The door opened and out walked Sonya. With that the woman was gone.

"I guess it did stop raining after all" Sonya commented.

"Yeah" Obi responded. "So I noticed you're not a big fan of Torou judging by the way you were glaring at her and called her a troll" he then commented.

"Oh please. You don't like her either" She noted. "You always complain that she makes you do all the dirty work while she actually goes ahead and does the job herself" She then mentioned.

"So do you think I'm dangerous?" he joked.

"Actually I do" Sonya replied. Obi wasn't actually expecting that answer. "But I don't think you're dangerous in a bad way. You're dangerous in a way where I actually feel safe" She continued.

"Well at least you don't have to worry about your safety then" Obi commented.

"The truth is, I never worry when I'm with you" Sonya told him. Obi was taken back by that. "I know it's selfish of me to think that way, but I can't help but feel safe with you. So thanks Obi for always being there for me" she continued and gave him a smile. Obi then broke out in laughter which confused Sonya.

"Umm did I say something funny?" She asked confused.

"No Sorry I honestly don't know why I'm laughing. It's always like this when I'm with you" Obi replied.

"It's okay. It's actually quite nice knowing you're comfortable around me to be yourself. In fact this is the first time I've ever seen you genuinely happy" she stated. "You really have changed haven't you Obi?" She questioned.

"Yeah I guess I have" he responded. The two just smiled and stared at each other for a moment. It was rare these days that they could just have a conversation about anything other than work.

"Well I think I'm gonna have another drink before I go to sleep. Want to join me?" Sonya asked as she headed for the door and looked back at him.

"Nah I think I'll pass for now. I could use some fresh air" Obi said.

"Alright well good night then" Sonya said as she walked back in the building. Sonya stood on the other side of the door looking down at the floor. She knew exactly why he declined her invitation. It was because he planned on meeting up with her.

' _Please don't do anything reckless Obi'_


	16. Chapter 16

Later that same night while everyone was asleep, Obi was sitting on the roof top of the Inn staring at the sky. He thought about what Sonya had said earlier.

" _The truth is, I never worry when I'm with you. I know it's selfish of me to think that way, but I can't help but feel safe with you. So, thanks Obi for always being there for me"_ He pictured her smile which made him smile.

"The one thing that's never changed besides your stubbornness is how you never cease to amaze me" Obi muttered to himself. Just as expected, Torou showed up.

"Who knew the rain would leave behind old acquaintances, you've certainly changed, Obi" She stated. Obi turned his head to look at her.

"You think so?" He questioned.

"the people that you're with seemed more likely to be swordsmen. Are they you're current employers?" She asked.

"I guess you could call one my master" He responded as he stood up.

"Your master? How cute" Torou commented as she lunged at Obi first with a kick which Obi blocked then she threw a few punches although not landing a single hit due to Obi's fast reflexes.

"You're still as sharp as ever" Torou commented with her fist curled in Obi's hand.

"Yeah thanks. Why are you in Tanbarun?" Obi asked.

"Working a job" She replied.

"Of course you would say that. Not that I wasn't expecting this" Obi responded adjusting one of his gloves.

"It's been 3 years. I wish you would've expected a tryst or something fun like that" She teased.

"Really Torou? Do you truly care for me?" Obi questioned.

"If I did then we'd be sharing a tearful embrace, dear" she responded blowing him a kiss.

"It's darling" he corrected.

"Although I probably shouldn't do that since Sonya might get mad at me" She teased. "Although speaking of her. What happened Obi? Did she finally decide she's too good for you?" She continued

"You do realize that all was all an act. Those two aren't in a relationship. They're just good friends" Obi explained.

"Well she's quite the actress then. Although I'm not surprised since she's in love with you after all. In fact, I'm not even surprised to find you two together in the same place" She responded with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Why do you assume she's in love with me? Just because she cares about me doesn't mean anything. You could learn a thing or two from her." Obi told her.

"Oh please the way she cares about you isn't platonic at all. There's clearly more to it you're either in denial or too oblivious to notice. I bet you she didn't tell you the real reason she became an assassin. It was all to protect her precious Obi" Torou stated.

"I know what you're trying to do Torou and it's not going to work. She told me why and it's not just because of me. Her parents made some shady business deals and didn't want to worry about her own safety" Obi countered.

"Sure that's what she told you, but I heard a completely different story" She stated.

"What do you want Torou?" Obi asked getting annoyed with her.

"I'm looking for someone. Someone who ran all the way from Clarines in fact. Care to help me out here? It can be like old times" She offered.

"if you're asking me to take part in a crime. Apologies but that's not my style now" he informed her.

"Come on, it's nothing bad. Just finding someone who ran away from home. I finally had a lead on the kid too until the rain started. We're old friends, aren't we?" She questioned. Obi thought about it for a second and figured he had nothing better to do so why not?

"If it's quick and just for the night I'll do it" He replied taking her up on her offer. Both Obi and Torou traveled to where Torou believed the kid was hiding.

"There's a lot of rumors floating around about you Obi. Some thought you must have gone into hiding while others thought you and Sonya finally settled down with a family or just kick the bucket" She mentioned.

"People can say what they want about me, but me and her are never gonna end up together. She's been with a Prince's advisor. She'd be downgrading if she was with me" Obi stated.

"I knew you had to at least be alive. You're hardly the type whose likely to make fatal mistakes" She noted.

"I wonder" was all he said.

The two eventually arrived at the location where the kid was hiding. It was the abandoned house on the hill that Kiki had noticed earlier. They entered the house through the window on the second floor. Much to his dismay Torou left him to deal with the guards while she went to find the kid. When Obi was done he waited for her outside on the rooftop. However, she was surprised to learn that there were more guards and when she tried to fight off one, she slipped on the wet balcony. Obi managed to catch her while hanging from a tree branch. The two then sat on two separate branches on the same tree picking the debris from the fall off their bodies. Torou was bruised from the fall while Obi only had a minor scratch on his shoulder.

"Not my finest hour was it? How about you? Any injuries?" She questioned.

"Yeah no. This is nothing" Obi said as he dusted himself off.

"It makes me think of the old days. We did more than a few jobs together back then" Torou said reminiscing on the past.

"Yes, that happened" Obi commented.

"I remembered how you'd talk to anyone without hesitation, but you never let yourself get attached with the exception of one person, but you were easy to work with" She commented then remembering a particular job when Obi got hurt.

"Oh yeah you were only hurt once that I know of and it was bad and that was the one-time Sonya tagged along with us" She noted.

 _Torou and Obi were working a job with Sonya accompanying them for medical support. At this time Sonya was just an herbalist. While on the job Sonya was targeted by the enemy and without really thinking Obi threw himself in front of her. Obi ended up with severe lacerations all over his body and the blood spatter from his injuries landed on Sonya._

" _OBI!" was the last thing he heard Sonya scream before passing out. Tears welled in her eyes as she started shaking with fear for not only her safety but Obi's life._

"Poor girl. I've never seen someone cry as much as she did that day. She was so devastated." Torou continued. Obi was silent letting Torou do all the talking. He felt guilty for causing her so much pain that day. "I thought you were so dangerous at the time too. Hey, we could pick up where we left off. Wanna work together again?" She then asked looking at him. He didn't respond nor look at her. Torou took that as a no. "Oh no is it too late. They say if you stop in one place your body gets weighted down there. Is that's what's going on? you can at least grunt in my direction here." She inquired trying to get an answer out of him.

"It's like I'm not complete like I left a part of me behind with her and that part is utterly under her control. I can't do anything of my own free will anymore without it either. Although I don't really mind it. As long as she's happy that is" Obi finally spoke.

"Geez you sound like you're in love with her, which doesn't surprise me at all honestly. Sonya's like the only person you've ever been attached too as far as I've known you." She mentioned.

"No, just returning the favor. She used to take such great care of me back then. The least I could do is protect her and keep her happy in return" Obi responded. He looked up at the house and noticed a light moving from one of the windows. "I think I see a light moving over there" he then informed her.

"Huh? There shouldn't be" She responded. The two went back into the house only to find an angry Zen and a concerned Shirayuki.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Zen shouted at Obi. Obi put his hands up to protect himself from his master.

"I'm sorry I was planning to go right back Master but..." Obi stopped short.

"but what?" Zen asked gritting his teeth seething with anger.

"I can't believe you found me here" Obi noted going off topic. Zen sighed in aggravation.

"Consider it luck. Kiki checked the area the other day and saw a light that seemed suspicious and Sonya happened to let us know about how you and that woman knew each other and figured you would go off somewhere together. We were hoping you would be here. If not, then I don't know if you would ever be found" Zen explained.

"Understood sir. You came too Miss?" he questioned looking over at Shirayuki who just stood there and looked at him.

"Shirayuki do you mind taking care of her while I have a little chat with Obi?" Zen asked.

"Not at all" She responded. Zen then lured Obi out of the room and into the lobby of the house. Both of them were sat on the stairs.

"If you two knew each other why not say anything?" Zen inquired.

"In that line of work it normal to pretend to not know each other no matter where we were. It was habit" Obi responded.

"I understand" Zen noted. "Listen Obi you need to learn to be more self-aware. If you can't do that then next time I won't come looking for you" he then told him. Obi was taken back by that.

"I'm so sorry" Obi replied surprised by his master's words. Just then someone familiar entered the house.

"Somehow I knew you couldn't resist doing a job with Torou" a female voice stated. Both Zen and Obi looked up to see Sonya leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed over each other and a look of disappointment on her face.

"Sonya? I thought you went back to sleep?" Zen questioned.

"My anxiety got the best of me and I had to come and make sure everyone was okay" She replied as she walked into the house and sat down next to Obi.

"What were you thinking? Did you forget how Torou just likes to use you to get ahead?" She questioned annoyed with him at the moment. She then noticed the cut on his shoulder. "Of course you got injured. Not even the slightest bit surprised" she continued.

"I'm actually surprised to see you here, but I'm glad you came. I'm sorry I made you worry" Obi told her.

"Yeah uh huh. Now let me look at the cut on your shoulder. Lucky for you I brought some medicine with me since I knew you would have at least one injury" Sonya requested.

"Nah don't worry about me. This is nothing" Obi responded. Sonya glared at him.

"Obi let me look at it" She demanded gritting her teeth.

'Okay Okay I'll show you just calm down" Obi said defeated as he took off his shirt. Torou watched them from on top of the stairs along with Shirayuki hiding behind a corner. She was surprised to see how together, the two of them haven't really changed. Zen went outside to stand with Mitsuhide and Kiki. Sonya poured some medicine on a cloth and dabbed it on the cut. Obi felt the sting of the contact.

"Ow. Hey, I know you're mad at me right now, but could you be gentler that stings you know" Obi told her.

"Sorry" She replied. Then she giggled which confused him.

"What's so funny Miss Sonya?" He asked.

"Sorry, it's just the déjà vu of the situation. Don't you remember the day we first met that day in the forest? You had a cut on your shoulder just like this. In fact I think it was the same shoulder too" Sonya mentioned.

"Oh yeah I remember" Obi responded knowing what she was talking about.

"Yeah and even back then you gave me a hard time about treating it" She noted, which made Obi laugh. She placed a bandage with ointment on it over his cut to prevent it from getting infected. She then got distracted by the scars that were on his body. She was there the day he got them, and she remembered being the reason behind it. Sonya's eyes became clouded with guilt and Obi seemed to notice. When Sonya pulled away he grabbed her by the wrist, which surprised her.

"I know that look on your face. I chose to protect you that day. What happened wasn't your fault" Obi told her. Sonya stayed silent still letting Obi hold on to her. "Honestly I'm glad it was me who got hurt then." He continued as he gently touched the largest scar on his chest. The one that bothered her the most. "I'm sorry I made you worry. It won't happen again" he said as he let her go. Tears welled in her eyes and a few ran down her cheeks. She then hugged Obi, which he wasn't expecting.

"It's okay. I'm just glad that you're okay and I'm always going to worry about you and that's only because I care" She said with a sob. Obi smiled as he wrapped one of his arms around her and held her for a little while. Sonya eventually pulled away and Obi put his shirt back on. Both of them stood up.

"I'm gonna wait outside with the others" Sonya said as she walked outside to join Zen, Mitsuhide, and Kiki. Torou and Shirayuki walked down the stairs. Shirayuki went outside with the others and Torou walked up to Obi and handed him his scarf that he left on the stairs.

"I see she hasn't changed a bit. Still always caring and worrying about you. That Sonya is really something. I'm amazed she still puts up with you" Torou commented. Obi took his scarf from her and put it on.

"I wonder" was all he said.

"Honestly Obi. I think you do love her. If not, then the act you're putting on is pretty convincing" Torou teased. Obi looked out at Sonya with the sunlight radiating off her skin. Obi couldn't help but smile at how beautiful it made her look.

"I wonder" he repeated. _'Who knows, maybe you're right. Maybe I do love her. But I won't give you the satisfaction of knowing that' he thought_


	17. Chapter 17

Back in Clarines Lord Haruka met with Prince Izana to talk about Zen holding marriage interviews. Izana agreed with the idea and gave Haruka a list of candidates to give to Zen. In the meantime an announcement was made of Zen's return. The first thing Zen did upon return was to see his brother whom was at the training grounds for sword practice. Zen greeted him along with Sonya since she was Izana's aide after all.

"Good to see you Lord Brother, we've returned" Zen announced. Izana stopped what he was doing.

"Welcome home Zen, Sonya. I'm glad you're all safe" Izana greeted. "I wonder what will you do now?" he then questioned. Zen seemed taken back by that. He then walked away leaving Sonya alone with him.

"Should I be concerned? What are you planning your highness?" Sonya asked somewhat worried about what he had planned. Izana chuckled in response.

"Don't worry just having a little fun with my brother, that's all. I promise that it's completely harmless" Izana told her.

"Uh huh sure" Sonya commented not really believing him.

"You'll find out soon enough. I'm sure Zen will eventually come to you and complain about it" Izana stated knowing the routine. "Since you just came back I'll let you rest for the day" He said before leaving. Sonya was actually somewhat surprised by that. She walked away into the castle courtyard where she witnessed Obi jumping off the balcony of the Zen's office. He noticed Sonya standing there.

"Hello Miss Sonya. How's it going?" Obi greeted her with a wink.

"What are you doing Obi? Shouldn't you be with Zen?" Sonya asked him.

"Well truth be told a terrifying man came to visit the master, so I ran away" Obi answered. Sonya looked at him confused for a moment then it clicked in her head who he was talking about.

"Haruka is talking to Zen?" She questioned.

"Well you figured that out rather fast" Obi commented.

"Crap" Sonya mumbled to herself. This must have been what Izana was talking about earlier.

"So Miss Sonya, would you like to talk a walk with me?" Obi offered.

"Sorry Obi, I have to go rescue your master. Some other time I promise!" Sonya told him as she took off to Zen's office. Meanwhile in his office, Haruka was speaking to Zen about holding a marriage interview.

He handed the list of candidates to Zen to look over.

"Prince Izana has also looked this over. He said we can invite them all to the castle and take care of this at once" Haruka informed him. Zen quietly looked over the list. "Are you listening your highness?" Haruka questioned when Zen didn't say anything.

"Of course I am. I just won't do it" Zen replied as he put the list down.

"Highness please" Haruka pleaded with him.

"I have no intention of finding a wife" Zen told him.

"Prince Zen..." Haruka began but stopped short when Sonya entered the office.

"Sorry for the interruption" Sonya commented.

"Miss Sonya, will you please talk some sense into his highness into holding a marriage interview?" Haruka requested.

"Oh yeah since when do I ever take your side?" Sonya questionably teased. "Let me see this so-called list of candidates that Prince Izana supposedly approved of" She requested. Zen handed her the list. After a quick glance over the list a certain name caught her attention. "You know on second thought. I agree with Lord Haruka. I think it would be a good idea for you to hold a marriage interview with at least one of these girls" Sonya said which surprised both Zen and Haruka.

"What happened to you not taking his side?" Zen questioned.

"Just trust me on this. One interview won't hurt and if it does I'm sure Shirayuki has medicine for that" She teased.

"That's not funny Sonya" Zen mumbled annoyed that she wasn't helping him get out of the situation.

"Thank you, Miss Sonya. I appreciate your cooperation" Haruka said to her. "I'll go inform Prince Izana now" He said before taking his leave. She listened carefully for his footsteps to fade.

"Obi! Is the coast clear?" She shouted knowing he was eavesdropping at the door.

"You're good Miss Sonya. He's gone!" Obi informed her. Sonya sighed with relief.

"Sometimes it's beneficial that he's so nosey" She giggled. "Alright now before you panic. I have a plan" She then told him.

"This better be good because you know I don't want to do this" Zen stated.

"Yes and I already attended one ball this week. If I have to attend another one I'm gonna jump off the roof of the castle" She mentioned.

"So what's your plan?" Zen questioned.

"First off, did you manage to actually take a good look at this list?" She asked in response.

"I wasn't really interested so I didn't really pay attention to it" he replied.

"Well there's a certain someone on this list that I think you should have the interview with" Sonya told him as she showed him the list.

"Who?" Zen asked as he looked at the list.

"I'll give you a hint. She has blond hair and happens to be the attendant of a certain prince in this room" Sonya noted. A lightbulb went off in Zen's head when he realized who she was referring to.

"Sonya are you crazy? She's never going to agree to this" Zen commented.

"Trust me. She hates attending balls as much as I do so she'd do anything to avoid them" She mentioned. "Plus it's only a farce and if this works then you won't have to deal with this situation again for a long time" She then noted. Zen sighed knowing she had a point. Later on Zen confronted Kiki and asked her to be apart of the fake marriage interview. Much to everyone's surprise Kiki agreed to participate. The interview was held shortly after. They held it in the courtyard with Mitsuhide and Obi watching nearby.

"You know, even though this is just an act. Those two look good together" Obi commented as he spectated.

"Indeed they do" Mitsuhide commented.

"Mitsuhide I know you're calm now because she's with the master, but if it was another man that close to her. You wouldn't be back here with me. You would be over there defending her honor" Obi teased.

"Oh like you wouldn't do the same with Sonya?" Mitsuhide countered glancing at Obi.

"Touché" Obi responded.

"What about me?" Sonya asked as she walked up to the two. Sonya had changed out of her casual uniform into something more formal. It was a black and purple dress with short puffed sleeves and gold buttons down the middle and two gold clasps on her collar linked together with two small gold chains and black laced boots and her hair tied back.

"Wow Miss Sonya you look so elegant" Obi complimented.

"Thank you. I'm just glad I had this lying around. I really didn't want to put on a gown" Sonya commented.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Prince Izana?" Mitsuhide questioned.

"Well I am technically off duty, so I figured I'd come watch and see how it's going" Sonya responded. She then noticed that Mitsuhide was carrying Kiki's sword along with his own.

"Aww how adorable. You're holding her sword for her. Such a gentleman you are Mitsuhide" Sonya teased.

"Seriously Sonya not you too" Mitsuhide complained.

"You know if Miss Kiki spoke about her intentions with another man that would mean she would take his side over yours and they would be there for each other" Obi continued to tease.

"Again same goes for you and you know who" Mitsuhide responded subtly gesturing to Sonya. "But listen Obi don't joke about this marriage interview to Shirayuki" he then noted.  
"What? Has no one said anything to her about this?" Obi asked.

"Not that I know of" He responded.

"Then I shall leave this to you two" Obi said as he was about to take off but was stopped when Sonya grabbed him by the belt on his coat.

"Oh no you don't" She stated. "You're staying right here mister. I don't need you making a mess of the situation my darling kitty" She then teased with a wink making Obi blush. Obi ended up listening to Sonya and stayed.

"Wow Sonya. It's almost like you have him trained" Mitsuhide commented.

"Please it's not like I'm Shirayuki who practically has Zen on a leash" She joked in response making the two boys laugh. The marriage interview eventually ended, and everyone returned to their normal duties. Zen was back in his office along with Mitsuhide and Kiki. Obi and Sonya joined later after she promised to go on a walk with him to make up for earlier.

"Geez the atmosphere in here is quite dense. I thought you would lighten up after the whole marriage interview was over" Sonya commented.

"He's in a bad mood because he wants to see Shirayuki but can't leave the castle" Mitsuhide informed her.

"Ah I see" She responded. Sonya walked over and leaned on Zen's desk. "I have an idea. Claim that you have a migraine and want some medicine to take care of it. This way you can see Shirayuki and have a reason for leaving and the ministry won't punish you" Sonya told him. Zen realized what she was trying to do, and it was times like this where he appreciated having her in his life.

"Sonya you're a genius! I'm gonna go see Shirayuki now. I'll pull an all-nighter if needed" Zen said as he rushed out of the room.

"Well don't stay out too late" Mitsuhide shouted after him. Later that same night, Zen was back in his office after he finished talking to Shirayuki. As he was doing the work he had put off earlier, Izana walked in.

"Lord Brother?" Zen said confused to why Izana was in his office.

"I thought you would come to me for help, but you managed that marriage interview yourself" Izana stated as he walked over to the window by Zen's desk. "So are you going to have one with Mitsuhide next time?" Izana teasingly questioned. Zen just sat there and glared at his brother. "I guess it's my fault for not taking Kiki's name off the list" he then said. "I want a drink. Care to join me?" He invited. The two were on the balcony with a glass of wine in their hands.

"Tell me. Were you studying that book you had open at your desk?" Izana questioned.

"Yes. I wanted to learn more about the situation up north" he replied.

"You mean the one that's my responsibility? Will you come save me if I'm in trouble?" Izana inquired.

'If the day you ask me for help ever comes" Zen replied.

"That's hardly my decision. Saving me is up to you" Izana told him. Zen was slightly taken back by that.

"Zen you need to understand something. I plan on taking a wife sooner than you think. Once that happens you will be next. You will be given one marriage proposal after another. Every choice you make, every position you'll eventually have and of course where I decide you ultimately belong. They are for our kingdom. Our people put their faith in your future. You are their prince" Izana stated.

"Someone who can't handle that responsibility can not be a prince I assume. But I still want her. I want Shirayuki to be my wife" Zen told his brother while looking him straight in his eyes.

"I had a feeling it would come to this" Izana commented. Zen then bowed towards his brother.

"Lord Brother, I have no intentions of leaving Shirayuki behind no matter what happens" Zen said.

"I understand" Izana responded. In this moment he was actually proud of his younger brother. He remembered the talk that he had with Sonya about this very moment. "Lift up your face Zen" Izana requested. Zen did as instructed and looked his brother in the eyes again. "If that's the case then you should make me an ally on the path you and Shirayuki have chosen" Izana stated. This completely surprised Zen. Although he had hoped this day would come eventually. After confining in Sonya about the struggles he endured trying to get his brother to accept Shirayuki in his life, She would always tell him to let the situation run it's course and Izana would eventually give up and become an ally.


	18. Chapter 18

It was the next day and Zen was at his desk studying the same book he was reading last night before his brother interrupted him. He wanted to know more about what was going on up north even though it was none of his concern. As he was reading there was a knock on the door and in entered Sonya with some documents in hand.

"Hi Zen, sorry it took me a while, but I brought copies of some of the reports you asked for" Sonya said as she handed him the reports.

"Thanks Sonya I appreciate it" He responded.

"No problem, but why do you care about what's going on up north when that's technically your brother's problem?" She questioned.

"I figured it would be nice to know what's going on if the day he ever asks me for help ever comes" Zen replied. Sonya then walked over to Zen's side and sat down on top of his desk with her legs crossed.

"Listen to me. Prince Izana is never going to ask for help. That being said he won't refuse it either. He assumes that if you want to help then you will." She told him. It reminded him of what Izana told him last night.

"Sonya something strange happened last night" Zen noted. Even though he was just addressing Sonya, everyone in the room looked at him confused.

"Strange how? What happened?" She asked.

"I was talking to my brother last night and he said that if I was serious about my future with Shirayuki that he would become an ally" He explained. Sonya looked at him surprised. She had a conversation about this with Izana, but never expected it to happen so soon.

"Are you sure that's what he said?" Mitsuhide questioned.

"Yes, I didn't believe it myself at first, but my brother isn't exactly the type of person to lie though" Zen replied.

"Yeah true, he just likes stretching the truth and leaving out important details to screw with people" Sonya noted.

"Yeah definitely sounds like something he would do" Zen commented.

"What exactly is going on up north? Didn't you spend a whole year in Lyrias and it turned out to be nothing?" Kiki questioned Sonya.

"Yeah well things have changed since I returned six months ago" Sonya replied. "To be honest I haven't gotten the chance to sit and read the reports myself so have no idea on what's going on and as usual, Izana skimped out on the details." She continued.

"He'll probably send you back up there" Mitsuhide commented. Sonya simply glared at him.

"I'm sorry I take it back" Mitsuhide commented cowering behind Kiki. Sonya giggled afterwards.

"haha I'm sorry Mitsuhide I couldn't resist. You're just too adorable" Sonya commented. This time Mitsuhide glared at her, but with a pink tint on his face.  
"That wasn't funny Sonya" He complained. Sonya then hopped off Zen's desk and made her way to the door.

"Well I have to go find Lord Haruka now. He owes me a few favors now" Sonya said with a wink then left the room. As soon as she left the room she shouted for Haruka.

"HARUKA YOU BASTARD I WON NOW PAY UP!" Sonya called out to him. Zen chuckled hearing her from where he was.

"It's amazing how those two only get along when they're competing with each other" Zen commented.

"Does Prince Izana know that you had Sonya bring you these reports?" Kiki asked as she took a peak at the reports that Sonya brought.

"He saw me studying some last night when he came by, so I doubt he would be surprised if I did some investigating myself" Zen replied.

"You think he's gonna end up sending Sonya back up there?" She then questioned.

"For by brother's sake I hope not" Zen replied. "He must have a death wish if he sends her this close to winter" he then commented.

"Oh yeah, she threatened him last time and as a peace offering Prince Izana gave her a week-long vacation" Mitsuhide chimed in.

"Yeah, but that was cut short when Shirayuki's safety was at risk and Prince Izana sent her to Tanbarun as back up Obi" Kiki mentioned.

"Oh yeah that's right" Mitsuhide responded.

"But knowing my brother, he'll still send her regardless" Zen commented.

"I wonder how Obi will react if she actually does go? He wasn't here when she first went and had no idea she even worked here at the time. Ever since we came back from Tanbarun he's been acting more cautious around her. Like he wants to protect her" Mitsuhide noted.

"Well they are friends after all. They knew each other well before they both came to the castle so it's understandable" Zen stated.

"But if she goes to Lyrias. Do you think Obi will want to go with her or at least follow her?" Kiki questioned. Zen just shrugged his shoulders.

"It's possible" Mitsuhide commented. They spent the rest of the day discussing the matter while Sonya collected her winnings from Haruka and went to help the herbalists in the medical wing.


	19. Chapter 19

Everyone returned to their normal duties after returning from Tanbarun. Izana decided to be nice to Sonya and lighten her work load for the day. Because of this, she finished her work rather early. Occasionally if she had nothing to do, she would help the herbalists in the medical wing. Currently she was helping Shirayuki plant herbs in the green house. While they were planting herbs, they heard a commotion coming from outside. Both stopped what they were doing to see what it was and found Obi sitting on Mihaya.

"Obi get off him. He's not a chair you know" Sonya instructed. Obi did as told and Mihaya stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes.

"I'm here as an official messenger from Tanbarun. You should know I went out of my way to come see you after greeting Prince Zen and the others" Mihaya told Shirayuki.

"If that's true then why are you sneaking around like a rat?" Obi questioned.

"Maybe cause someone I didn't want to see was with her stray cat face" He exclaimed.

"Okay children let's play nicely" Sonya chimed in.

"Official messenger? I didn't know you were in Tanbarun now" Shirayuki commented.  
"That all happened after you got kidnapped by the Claw of the Sea. Don't you remember I gave them important intel to help take them down. It's thanks to me the Claw was dragged out one by one" Mihaya stated.

"You do realize your intel was also the reason she got kidnapped in the first place" Sonya commented as she crossed her arms.

"Look I said I was sorry about a dozen times already" Mihaya said annoyed.

"So, what are you doing here as Tanbarun's official messenger?" Shirayuki questioned.

"Actually, I lied about that part" Mihaya said. "I was only allowed to come since I know you. The real messenger is someone else. He has business with you little red and you too Miss Sonya" Mihaya said with a wink before walking away. All three-looked confused.

Later that day it was discovered that Shirayuki received an official title from her homeland. After that she was back in the medical wing along with Sonya and Ryuu organizing some herbs that were lying around.

"So, what was that all about earlier?" Sonya asked.

"Apparently Raj decided to make that fake title real. I'm an official friend of the crown back in Tanbarun" Shirayuki responded.  
"Oh congrats. Now we both have something else in common now. I have a title back in Tanbarun as well" Sonya shared. Both Shirayuki and Ryuu looked at her confused.

"I didn't know you had a title in your homeland Miss Sonya" Ryuu commented.

"Yeah me neither" Shirayuki chimed in. Sonya nodded her head.

"I've had it for awhile now. The king gave it to me while I worked at the castle and at the time was in a relationship with Sakaki. He wanted me to be able to come back when ever I pleased so in Tanbarun I'm known as a servant of the crown" Sonya explained.

"Wait I didn't know you and Sakaki were in a relationship" Shirayuki said confused.

"Yes, but we ended things when I came here to Clarines. You see Prince Izana had me put in Shenizad Castle to test my loyalty to Clarines. I was instructed to work there for two years and afterwards decide where I wanted to be." She explained. Just then there was a knock and Garack entered the room.

"Ah Sonya I'm glad you're still here. I have a visitor for you" She said as she let in the guest. Both Shirayuki and Sonya were surprised to see it was Sakaki.

"Sakaki?" Sonya said confused.

"I hope it's okay, but he said he wanted to talk to you for a minute" Garack noted. "Say, do you two want to help me with something?" She then asked Shirayuki and Ryuu. Both nodded their heads and left with the chief giving the two privacy.

"It's been awhile Sonya, you look as beautiful as ever" Sakaki commented with a smirk on his face.

"Oh uh thank you Sakaki" She responded with a pink tint on her cheeks.

"I'm actually surprised to see you in here. Aren't you Prince Izana's attendant?" Sakaki questioned.

"Yes, I am, but when I have free time I usually lend a hand to the herbalists in here when needed. I like to help out when I can." She told him.

"I see. You always did like to help others given the opportunity. That's the one thing I've always admired about you my dear Sonya" he stated.

"Well thanks" She replied.

"You probably already know this, but I didn't come here just to deliver a message to Shirayuki. I wanted to talk to you. We didn't get the chance to actually talk while you were in Tanbarun especially with that incident with the Claw of the Sea" Sakaki mentioned.

"So what exactly is it you want to talk about?" She asked him.

"I want you to know that my feelings for you haven't changed. I still love you Sonya" he confessed as he stared out the window. Sonya was taken back by this.

"What? You still love me?" Sonya questioned. Sakaki nodded his head.  
"Yes, however, I know your heart belongs to him now" Sakaki responded. Even though he didn't say his name. She knew who he was talking about. "Don't worry, I won't make you choose. That wouldn't be right of me to do that. If you want to be with him, then you have my full support regardless. All I want is for you to be happy. Just know that if you ever decide to come back to Tanbarun. I'll be there waiting for you and if that day ever comes, I'll hope you'll stay" he continued as he turned his attention to her. Sonya was surprised by this. However those words reminder her why she fell in love with him in the first place.

"Well I appreciate that Sakaki. I'll keep that in mind" Sonya told him.  
"Of course. Anything for you. Before I forget, both Princess Rona and Prince Eugena have a message for you. They wanted me to tell you that they both miss you and that you'll come visit soon" he stated.

"Yeah, I promised Prince Eugena that one day I'd use my title to come visit" Sonya told him.

"I see. Well I better get going. I promised Prince Raj I would return immediately after I was done here" Sakaki mentioned as he headed for the door.

"Sakaki! Hold on a second" Sonya requested. Sakaki paused and turned around wondering what she wanted from him. Sonya did something unexpected and kissed him, cupping his face in her hands. Sakaki was surprised at first but kissed her back nonetheless. It was at this moment that Obi walked in the room. He quickly hid himself back in the hall when he noticed the two. His curiosity got the better of him and decided to stay hidden and eavesdrop. Sonya pulled away.

"Sakaki, I'm gonna be honest with you. Things are complicated and you're right I do have feelings for him, but my heart doesn't completely belong to him just yet. There is a part of me that's still in love with you and I know that I always will." She said clenching onto his cloak and looking down at the ground.

"But you love him more don't you?" he inquired.

"Yes. He's the reason I am who I am today." She said not knowing Obi was listening on the other side of the wall. "We used to spend so much time together back then. One day he let me tag along on a job and was severely wounded because of me. I felt so guilty and I ran away to Clarines and asked my friend Lileigh to train me to become an assassin. He almost died trying to protect me, so I wanted to be able to protect him instead. When he found out about my training I lied and told him it was to protect myself because my parents made shady business deals. I went through a lot as an assassin and I didn't want him to feel guilty for it even though it was my decision" She explained. Obi was taken back by this. Who knew Torou was right this whole time. He decided it was a good time to leave before he got caught.

"I think you should tell him how you really feel. He seemed pretty worried about you when you disappeared during Shirayuki's kidnapping. He obviously cares about you too." Sakaki advised.

"Maybe one day, but like me, he also has feelings for another girl. I could never make him choose." She mentioned. "Anyways, I've kept you too long. I don't want you to get scolded by the Prince for being late. Send my greetings to everyone back home" She said as she bowed to him.


	20. Chapter 20

The conversation she had with Sakaki caused her to have conflicting feelings on where she truly belonged. However, she pushed those feelings aside for the moment to focus on more important matters. Today after doing some investigating, Izana decided it was time to act. He wanted to take care of the situation up north in Lyrias before it gets worse. He summoned both Shirayuki and Ryuu to his office. A knock on the door and Sonya entered with the two trailing behind.

"Your Highness, I brought Shirayuki and Ryuu as you requested" She announced.

"Thank you, Sonya," Izana responded.

"If that's all you need at the moment then I'll be taking my leave now sir" She said as she bowed at the prince.

"Actually Sonya, I want you to stay. There's something I have to tell the three of you" Izana stated. Sonya then proceeded to stand next to the two.

"Sonya, I know you're aware of what's currently going on up north, but I'll explain in more detail" He started. "Currently the residence of Lyrias are falling ill and the cause has yet to be determined. So, I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and send Shirayuki and Ryuu up there to assist the herbalists in Lyrias and do some training as well. I have arranged for you two to stay there for at least two years" he then explained.

"Uh Your Highness, what exactly does that have to do with me?" Sonya questioned not understanding why she had to stay for this.

'I'm glad you asked my dear. Since you've spent a year in Lyrias yourself; I thought it would be a good idea to send you with them as their guardian and since you happen to be an herbalist as well, you can assist the herbalists there and take care of the ill" He explained. Sonya sighed in response. She expected this from him but hoped she would be wrong.

"Well that's all for now. You three are dismissed" Izana told them. The three bowed before taking their leave. Just as Sonya was about to walk out, Izana called for her.

"Sonya" he called. Sonya stopped at the doorway and turned her attention to her master.

"Yes Prince Izana?" She questioned.

"People tend to take advantage of chaos like this. You are responsible for their protection. Understand?" Izana inquired. Sonya nodded in response.

"Yes, of course. Don't worry, I'll protect them at all costs" She told him.

"I know you will. That's why I'm trusting you with this task" He commented. Sonya smirked slightly then left the room. She roamed the hall with a disconcerted look on her face. With Shirayuki and Ryuu accompanying her this time, she had much more to worry about. Especially, how Zen would react when he found out. As she walked through the hall she noticed Obi approaching from the opposite side. That's when it hit her. It wasn't just Zen's reaction she had to worry about. There was Obi's reaction as well.

"Hey Miss Sonya. How's it going?" Obi greeted with a wave. Sonya panicked as she turned around and ran off. Obi was confused by this. "Well that was strange. I wonder what's up with her?" he questioned.

Later that day Sonya was outside in the training court that's usually used for sword practice. She sat down on the ground with her legs crossed and shot some arrows at the target she set up five feet in front of her. She muttered to herself about how she hated going to Lyrias especially during the winter and how she hated Prince Izana for sending her back there. She shot an arrow which landed dead center of the target.

"Wow nice shot" someone commented which startled Sonya. She turned to see it was Obi. She turned back around not really wanting to see him.

"Oh um thanks" she responded as she picked up another arrow placing it in her bow and aimed at the target.

"So what was that about earlier? Did I do something wrong?" Obi asked.

"No sorry, it's just that…well did you by any chance talk to Shirayuki and/or Little Ryuu yet today?" She questioned putting her bow and arrow down for a second and looking up at him with a worried look.

"No not yet. I was on my way to the medical wing when I saw you here. I wanted to see if you were okay since you were acting strange before" he replied.

"Oh, I see" She responded as she picked the bow and arrow back up and shot the arrow which landed just inches away from the previous arrow she shot.

"I never knew you were good at archery" Obi commented.  
"That's because I didn't know archery back then" Sonya told him.

"So what's going on? You clearly have something on your mind. Did something happen?" Obi asked as he sat down next to her.

"I thought you were supposed to go to the medical wing. Won't Zen get mad if you're not at your post?" Sonya questioned not really wanting to talk about what was going on.

"Why are you avoiding the subject?" Obi questioned in return.

"I'm not avoiding anything. That was a serious question" she replied. She put the bow back down on the ground in front of her and sighed. "Can I ask you a completely unrelated question?" She then asked.

"What is it?" he asked in response.

"How would you react if someone you care about was suddenly leaving?" She questioned without looking at him. Obi looked at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"What's this about?" He asked not understanding why she was asking that.

"Never mind, it's not important" Sonya stood up. "I have to get back to my duties now. I'll see you around Obi" She said as she walked away. Obi was well aware that there was something bothering her but decided that it was best to just give her space for now. Obi went on to the medical wing like he was supposed to. He entered the infirmary and saw both Shirayuki and Ryuu working harder than normal.

"What's going on? Why are you two working so hard all of a sudden?" Obi asked.

"We want to get everything done before we leave next week" Shirayuki told him.

"You guys are leaving next week? I didn't know that. I'm surprised Master didn't say anything" Obi commented.

"Zen doesn't know yet. I didn't get the chance to tell him" Shirayuki mentioned.

"Oh, Master isn't gonna be happy then. So where are you two going anyways?" he asked.

"Prince Izana is sending us up north to Lyrias for two years for training and to help take care of a current epidemic" Ryuu stated.

"Well it's gonna be quite lonely around here with you two gone. I guess Miss Sonya will have to fill the void until you guys return" Obi commented with a chuckle.

"Actually Obi, she's coming with us" Shirayuki told him. Obi's eyes widened and realized that Sonya's strange behavior made sense now.

"Prince Izana appointed her as our guardian" Ryuu noted.

"Really?" He questioned.

"Yeah, she took the new rather well. I was expecting her to overreact like she usually does when Prince Izana sends her up north" Ryuu commented.

"Is there something bad about Lyrias to make Sonya hate it so much?" Shirayuki asked.

"For the longest time I've known her, she's always hated being cold" Obi mentioned.

"Really? Well I guess that makes sense then" Shirayuki commented.

"I wonder how serious this situation is. Sonya has been outside training all day" Ryuu noted as he watched Sonya through the window.

"Is that unusual for her?" Shirayuki questioned looking at both Obi and Ryuu. Obi shrugged his shoulders.

"She was just an herbalist when I met her. I didn't even know about her being an assassin until recently" Obi stated then looked out the window to see Sonya was back to shooting arrows at the targets. While the two were occupied with their work, Obi decided to have another attempt at talking to Sonya.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked. Sonya lowered her bow and arrow and turned and looked up at Obi.

"I rather be alone right now if you don't mind" Sonya told him as she went back to her training.

"Are you upset that you're going to Lyrias with half pint and the little miss?" he questioned as he sat down next to her. Sonya simply shook her head. "Can you at least talk to me?" he continued annoyed with the fact that she was basically giving him the silent treatment.

"There's nothing to talk about Obi" She said in a monotone. She lifted the bow back up and shot the arrow which landed a few inches to the left of the bullseye.

"Clearly there's something wrong. You've been acting weird all day" Obi commented.

"I'm fine now can you please leave me alone. I'm trying to concentrate" She said coldly.

"I'll leave if you promise that you will talk to me before you leave" Obi stated.

"Fine I promise now leave" She ordered still giving him a cold attitude. Obi got up and walked away. She watched him walk away through the corner of her eye. She felt somewhat guilty for the way she spoke to him, but she didn't have the courage either to tell him how she really felt about the situation.  
Later that night she decided to have a chat with Zen about the situation and how she felt. By now Shirayuki must have told him the news about her departure to Lyrias. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door and entering his office.

"Hi Zen" She greeted. Zen looked up from the paperwork he was filling out.

"Sonya, what are you doing here at this hour? Does my brother need me for something?" He questioned. Sonya shook his head.

"No, I was actually hoping I could talk to you about something" She told him.

"Is this about you going to Lyrias with Shirayuki and Ryuu?" he inquired. Sonya was slightly surprised that he basically read her mind. "Obi was concerned that you weren't talking to him, so he asked me earlier if I knew what was going on" He explained.

"Actually, Obi is what I want to talk to you about" She stated.

"What about him?" He questioned.

"If it's possible. I would appreciate it if you kept him from following us to Lyrias" She told him. Zen was surprised by this. "I know he's Shirayuki's guard and all, but Prince Izana appointed me as guardian for this mission and I have the sole responsibility of protecting them. I feel pathetic compared to him. I've relied to much on Obi in the past and because of that he was badly injured. I refuse to let that happen again" She explained. "I know he's your messenger and he usually listens to you so if you would please make sure he stays here?" She begged.

"You know Obi better than I do. He's a persistent scoundrel. If he wants to follow you to Lyrias, he'll do it. Even if it's against my orders" He told her. "Honestly I wasn't going to send Obi in the first place. I trust you enough to protect them both on your own. I know just how strong you are" He continued. This put a smile on her face. "That being said though. This is something you should talk to him about. He's been worried about you all day." He continued. Sonya sighed knowing he was right.

"Yeah I know. Thanks Zen. Talking to you actually helped a little. I'm glad you trust me with her protection" she commented.  
"Don't tell Obi I said this, but you're the first person I trust her with" Zen commented with a smirk. Sonya giggled in response.

"Well I better get going. I probably should go find Obi. Knowing him, he's lying in one of the trees in the courtyard" Sonya said. "Wish me luck. I'll need it" She said right before leaving.


	21. Chapter 21

After talking to Zen, Sonya decided that he was right and that it was time to tell Obi how she really felt about her departure. It was late at night and while most people were sleeping she knew that Obi would be out and about. Luckily for her, she knew just where to find him. After walking into the courtyard of the castle Sonya spotted Obi laying in one of the trees with his hands behind his head. She took a deep breath before approaching the tree.

"Obi" She called as she looked up at him. Obi looked down after hearing his name and saw Sonya with a slightly worried look on her face.

"Oh hey Miss Sonya, what's wrong?" Obi questioned as he looked down at her.

"Can you um..can you come down here so we can talk?" She asked hesitantly. This kinda worried him. Obi sat up and looked down at her with a small smirk on his face at the fact that she now wanted to talk to him.

"Why don't you come up here? There's a nice view of the herb garden from here" He offered.

"Obi please I'm trying to be serious here. Now please come down here" She requested with an almost begging tone. Obi ended up listening to her and hopped off the branch.

"So what did you want to talk about?" He questioned. Sonya looked away from him as she held her clasped together against her chest. Obi looked at her confused.

"Well…it's about my departure to Lyrias" she began.

"Okay what about it?" He inquired.

"Well umm…...I would umm….I would appreciate it if you didn't follow us to Lyrias" She said very hesitantly. Obi was taken back by this.

"Why would you even assume that I would follow you?" He asked. Sonya still wouldn't look at him.

"Because I know how much you want to protect Shirayuki. Even though I was appointed her guardian for this trip I know deep down you want to go as well. I used to depend on you all the time back then and I hate myself for the fact that I still do. I spent 8 years without you and I was so confident in my abilities to take care of myself and my friends, but now that you're back in my life it's like every single piece of my confidence has vanished and I'm back to being the girl who relies on you to rescue me when I'm in distress" She confessed with tears welling in her eyes. Obi was surprised by this.

"Is that why you've been so cold to me all day?" Obi asked. Sonya shook her head in response.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't have the confidence to tell you then. After talking to Zen I figured at that point I didn't have much of a choice. I never wanted to hurt you Obi. I care about you too much to do that. It's just that, I need to regain the confidence and independence I once had and the only way I feel I can do that is if you stay here while I go to Lyrias with them" She explained.

"I'm sorry Sonya. All I wanted was...no _is_ to protect you. It was never my intention to make you feel insecure of your own abilities. To be honest even though I've been an assassin longer than you. You are far more skilled than I am. However, I still want to protect you. I would feel like crap knowing something happened and I wasn't there to do something about it" Obi confessed. Sonya actually looked at him this time and was surprised and judging by the look on his face. He was being genuinely sincere about this.

"So what does that mean exactly?" Sonya asked.

"You were only partially right before. I do want to protect the Little Miss, but you left out the part where I want to protect you as well as the half-pint" Obi explained. "However, if you don't want me to follow you to Lyrias then your wish is my command m'lady" Obi continued as he playfully bowed towards her. Sonya was surprised at how willing he was to cooperate. She was expecting him to argue with her, but instead, he simply obeyed. Sonya gave Obi a hug.

"Thank you for understanding" She whispered into his ear and with that she left. Obi stood there dumbfounded by what had just happened. He felt his heart beat a little faster too. Deep down Sonya knew that no matter what she said, Obi was probably going to find an excuse to show up in Lyrias. Hopefully, by the time that happens; Sonya will have gained back her confidence.


	22. Chapter 22

Weeks passed and it was the night before Sonya, Shirayuki, and Ryuu's departure to Lyrias. Sonya noticed that Obi has been avoiding her ever since she confronted him a few weeks ago. She couldn't blame him though. He was probably mad at her. Shirayuki and Sonya walked together to go see Zen and the others. What they didn't know was Zen wanted to see them as well. The group ran into each other in the foyer of the Castle.

"Oh Shirayuki, Sonya. We were just on our way to see you two" Mitsuhide commented.

"Funny cause we came to find you guys as well" Sonya commented.

"We wanted to say a proper goodbye before we left in the morning" Shirayuki added. "I would like a handshake from everyone" She continued.

"A handshake?" Kiki questioned as she walked up to Shirayuki and did something that surprised everyone. She gave her a hug. "Goodbye Shirayuki. We'll miss you"

"Well that was unexpected" Obi commented.

"I wasn't going to give her a hand shake either" Mitsuhide commented as he approached Shirayuki and gave her a hug.

"Wow Sonya you're right. Mitsuhide does give really good hugs" Shirayuki commented to her.

"See I told you. It's all in the height. It's always the guys who are at least a foot taller that give the best hugs" She noted. Mitsuhide blushed in response. Sonya poked Mitsuhide in the chest. "I'm saving the best hug for last" She said with a wink. Shirayuki then approached Obi. He seemed a bit hesitant and nervous. At this point she was expecting a hug from him. Sensing his nervousness Shirayuki was cautious when hugging him.

"It feels like Obi would suddenly appear in Lyrias" Shirayuki commented as she hugged him. Obi was taken back by this. He pulled away and told her.

"If you want me to, but I doubt it" Obi commented. She then of course saved Zen for last. It was now Sonya's turn to give everyone a hug. She started with Zen

"Keep her safe for me" he whispered to her. Sonya giggled in response.

"Don't worry. I promise. If anyone is qualified to take Obi's place as her guard it's me" she teased. She moved on to Kiki.

"To think you only came back six months ago" She commented.

"ugh Don't remind me that was brutal" she responded. She decided to skip over Obi and go straight to Mitsuhide. She held onto Mitsuhide the tightest since she loved his hugs so much.

"Be careful up there Sonya" Mitsuhide advised.

"Ugh I'm gonna miss this" She whined. "Zen can Mitsuhide come with me to keep me warm?" She begged the young prince. Zen chuckled in response.

"Sorry Sonya but Mitsuhide is going with Kiki to Sereg" Zen told her. Obi actually felt slightly jealous that she wanted Mitsuhide to go, but begged him not to go.

"Oh yeah that's right. Have fun you two and say hi to your father for me Kiki" Sonya told her.

"I will, don't worry" Kiki responded.

"Well since we all said our goodbyes I'm going to bed" Sonya said as she started walking away.

"Hey aren't you forgetting someone?" Obi questioned. Sonya stopped and turned around and looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about?" Sonya asked.

"You skipped right over me Sonya" He commented.

"I only skipped over you because you seemed like you didn't want a hug" She defended. "You barely gave Shirayuki a hug" she added.

"Never mind, forget I said anything. Good night everyone" Obi said then walked away. Sonya was confused again.

"I've known him for eight years and I still don't understand him. Is anyone else getting mixed signals from him or is it just me?" Sonya questioned trying to understand what just happened.

"He's been acting like that ever since he found out about you going to Lyrias, especially when you told him not to follow you" Zen noted.

"But he seemed so understanding when I told him unless he did what he usually does and basically lied to me so I wouldn't worry" Sonya mentioned.

"Definitely sounds like something he would do" Mitsuhide Chimed in.

"Well I really did want to go to bed, but I guess I should go talk to him. Good night guys. I'll see you all in the morning" She said as she wandered off to find Obi. Surprisingly enough, Obi wasn't outside where she thought he would be. She went back into the castle and to his room knocking on the door waiting for him to answer. A few minutes passed and she knocked again. She heard a faint "Coming" from the other side of the door. Obi opened the door with just a pair of pants on. The look on Sonya's face softened she she saw the scar on his chest.

"Well this is a surprise. What do you want Miss Sonya?" Obi inquired.

"I know you're mad at me, but can we talk?" Sonya requested.

"Who said I was mad at you?" Obi questioned confused.

"You seemed like it before I only assumed" She responded. "If this is about the fact that I didn't give you a hug then I'm sorry. I figured contact like would make you feel uncomfortable. If you want a hug then I'll gladly give you one" She added.

"It's not about the hug, but I appreciate the offer. I'll keep that in mind." He told her.

"Obi did I do something wrong? You've been avoiding me since you even found out I was going to Lyrias" Sonya questioned.

"Hold on a second" Obi said before closing the door on Sonya. She sighed as she waiting in the hall for him. He opened the door this time wearing a casual black shirt and a pair of boots. "Come on, let's go for a walk" he suggested as he walked out of his room. Sonya nodded and followed him. They walked out of the Castle and to the forest which was still inside castle walls.

"So if you're not mad at me then why are you avoiding me?" Sonya asked breaking the silence between them.

"It's not that I'm mad at you. It's just that I'm annoyed" Obi responded.

"Is it because I asked you not to follow me to Lyrias?" She asked. Obi shook his head.

"Then what?" she asked in response.

"Were you planning on saying goodbye to me?" Obi asked in response. Sonya looked at him confused. "Before when you were saying your goodbyes to everyone. You skipped right over me and went to Mitsuhide who you said you were saving for last" Obi noted. "You didn't say goodbye back then either. You just left without a word. I don't care about the stupid hug. It's the fact that you chose not to say goodbye to me" He continued. Sonya was actually a little surprised by this. She initially planned to say goodbye to Obi the morning of her departure, but I guess it was her mistake not telling him that.

"Sorry, I guess I should have told you that I was saving it for the morning" she told him. Obi stopped and looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. "You're right. I should have said goodbye back then too. I guess I was just too traumatized to see you after what had happened. It's gotten better though. I no longer see the scar and worry that it can happen again. Although I'll admit I still feel the guilt" She continued. "I told Mitsuhide that I wanted him to be my last hug, but I wanted you to be the last goodbye because I knew it would be the most painful" She said as a tear ran down her cheek. Obi was actually taken back by this.

"The most painful?" he questioned. Sonya nodded as she wiped away the tear.

"Obi I know I basically abandoned you eight years ago and you have every right to hate me for it, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. In fact and don't tell Zen I said this, but out of everyone here. I care about you the most." She confessed. Then Obi did something unexpected. He gently caressed her cheek leaning down and planted a kiss on her lips. Sonya's body froze in a state of shock. When Obi pulled away he noticed the shocked look in Sonya's eye and the fact that her face was completely red. Realizing what he had just done his face mirrored hers and he covered his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Sorry I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to do that" Obi stated.

"No, it's okay. No worries, we'll just pretend it never happened" Sonya giggled nervously.

"Right. So anyways good luck in Lyrias. I guess I'll see you in two years" he said as he began to walk away.

"Obi" She called out to him. Obi stopped and looked at her giving her his attention. "Tell me the truth. How do you really feel about me going to Lyrias? You seemed really bothered by it ever since you found out. You can be honest with me you know" She told him. Obi looked away from her not really knowing what to say. Part of him hated that she could read him like a book so easily. He figured that the situation was already awkward since he kissed her so he might as well just roll with it.

"We've been apart for eight years and in that time I was convinced that I was never going to see you again. Then six months ago, you stood in Master's office and I thought I was hallucinating because I didn't believe it was actually you. You definitely looked different with your hair cut but I knew it was you when I heard your voice. I was relieved that you were okay" he told her. "And now, I feel like I'm losing you again. I know you'll only be gone for two years this time, but I feel like something might happen and I'll never see you again" he confessed. Sonya's expression softened after hearing this. She knew Obi wasn't the type to get attached. In fact she was surprised he was still working as Zen's messenger/Shirayuki's guard. Somehow she felt as if he had gotten attached to her and she's what's keeping him here at the castle.

"Have you felt this way since you found out about me leaving?" She questioned. Obi nodded his head in response. Tears escaped her eyes again and Obi was confused by this.

"Why are you crying for this time?" He asked. Sonya choked back a sob then lunged into him wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I was hurting you Obi. I was being so selfish that I didn't even take into account how this affects you" She sobbed into his chest. "I'm sorry Obi. I've been hurting all this time" she continued as she clenched the back of his shirt tighter. "You must really hate me now" She sobbed. Obi then decided to return the hug.

"I don't hate you Sonya" he assured her. In fact the way she was holding him made his heart beat a little faster. Sonya felt it, but decided not to mention it. She looked up at him with her eyes red and puffy and her cheeks stained with her tears and saw that he was smiling down at her. If he hated her then he wouldn't be smiling at her would he. Sonya then smiled back feeling relieved that he was no longer mad at her.


	23. Chapter 23

It was now morning. Because of what happened last night, Sonya didn't get much sleep. However, she was up and ready for her trip to Lyrias. Outside she met up with Shirayuki and Ryuu whom were making sure they had what they need and Zen, Mitsuhide, and Kiki waited on the side ready to say their goodbyes one last time. The only person missing was Obi. Sonya figured he was still asleep since he's not much of a morning person to begin with.

"Is Obi not coming" Shirayuki asked.

"We tried waking him up, but I guess it didn't work" Mitsuhide noted. Sonya sighed and walked towards the castle.

"I'll be right back. There's one last thing I need to do before we leave" Sonya said as she walked away. Sonya went to her room and grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down a note. She took the note to Obi's room where she slid it under the door instead of waiting for him to wake up to hand it to him.

"Maybe it's for the best" she uttered under her breath. "Goodbye Obi" She whispered to the door before leaving. Sonya walked back out of the Castle and joined back into the group.

"Is everything okay?" Zen asked.

"Yeah sorry, I just wanted to double check that I had everything just be sure" Sonya replied. Everyone said their final goodbyes before Sonya, Shirayuki, and Ryuu got in the carriage. The carriage took off and the three remaining waved them off.

"You think Obi's gonna be mad when he realizes he slept right through their departure" Mitsuhide questioned.

"Probably, he seemed upset when Sonya skipped over him last night" Kiki mentioned.

"I guess it's understandable. They spent eight years apart and once they found each other again they were only able to spend less than six months together before being separated for two years" Zen noted.

"He obviously has feelings for her" Kiki commented.

"Yeah without a doubt" Mitsuhide chimed in. Hours later Obi woke from his slumber. He sat up with a stretch and looked over at the clock and his eyes widened when he saw what time it was.

"Crap I slept through the morning" He mumbled annoyed at himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Great now she's probably mad at me" he continued. Obi got out of bed wearing just his pants. As he went to grab a shirt from his dresser, he noticed something on the floor in front of his door. "What's this?" he questioned himself as he picked up the piece of paper off the floor. He unfolded it and was surprised to see it was a note from Sonya.

 _Obi,_

 _You're probably upset that you slept through our departure, but don't worry_

 _it was probably for the best that we didn't see each other this morning. I promise I plan on coming back unlike last time, which you have to believe I'm truly sorry for. There's no need to worry about Shirayuki and Little Ryuu I'll protect them for you (Plus I think Zen might kill me if anything happens to Shirayuki)._

 _Anyways don't think of this as a goodbye. Think of it as a see you later. It's less sad that way in my opinion. Stay out of trouble while I'm gone and make sure Zen does the same. I'll see you in two years or_

 _Less depending on how things go in Lyrias._

 _Love,_

 _Sonya_

Obi crumbled up the note into his fist and slammed it against the wall. No only was he mad at himself for missing his last chance to see her before she left, but also for the fact that he made her feel guilty for leaving. Things have changed last night. What's worse was he made her cry. After Obi unconsciously kissed Sonya he felt his feelings for her get stronger, to the point where he could no longer ignore them. He admitted in his head awhile ago when Torou teased him about it that he was in love with Sonya. Maybe this time, he had fallen deeper. At the moment, he wanted to follow Sonya to Lyrias, but he knew that would be going against her wishes and the last thing he wanted to do was to make her feel like he couldn't trust her to do her job. Obi decided to forget about the situation for now and just focus on passing time without like he used to do when she was gone. Although, that would end up being harder than he thought. After he got dressed Obi went for a walk in the courtyard where he ran into his Master and the other two.

"Obi? Where were you this morning?" Zen asked.

"Sorry I guess I didn't realize how tired I was and overslept" he responded.

"Well Sonya, Shirayuki, and Ryuu left a few hours ago. I'm surprised you didn't rush over to say goodbye" Zen commented.

"No worries, I said goodbye to them last night" Obi mentioned.

"Even Sonya? I thought she chose not to say goodbye to you" Mitsuhide questioned.

"Well I guess she changed her mind cause she came to my room last night to say goodbye" He told him.

"She did seem upset that you didn't come to see her off though" Zen noted.

"When it was obvious that you weren't coming she stormed back into the castle. She made up some excuse about forgetting something so we figured she went to wake you up to say goodbye before she left with Shirayuki and Ryuu" he continued.

"Master I'm surprised you're being calm about this. I mean with Mistress and Miss Sonya gone for two years I was sure that you would be upset" Obi said trying to bare some of the attention onto Zen.

"It's true that I'll miss the two of them, but I can manage. This isn't the first time they've both been gone from the castle at the same time" Zen commented in reply.

"Yeah, but last time it was only for a few weeks this is two years we're talking about" Obi noted in response.

"You know he has a point Zen. Shirayuki came into the picture three months into Sonya's last trip to Lyrias and that time she was only gone for a year. You used to complain all the time how you needed her advice and she wasn't there to give it to you, especially when it came to Prince Izana" Mitsuhide commented.

"Yeah, I know, but things are different now. Plus we have a lot to do in these next few months so that should keep my mind off of it" Zen mentioned.

"Yeah like all the inspections that have to get done" Kiki chimed in.

"Yeah that too" Zen commented. "Don't worry Obi. Time will fly by and two years won't seem so far way" Zen assured his messenger. Obi smirked in response. He saw what his Master was trying to do. He knew that of Obi worried then he would start worrying himself.


	24. Chapter 24

After a long journey, the three finally arrived in Lyrias. Winter was a few weeks away, but they already felt the chilling temperatures compared to Wistal. Shirayuki and Ryuu were both Shivering in the cold while Sonya was helping carry the bags into the Pharmacy Building. Each got their own room. Sonya decided to keep the room she stayed in last time she was here. They went to one of the medical rooms where Sonya introduced them to Suzu and Yuzu. After the three got settled in, Sonya took the two on a little tour before getting started with their work. Shirayuki was amazed at how beautiful the city is.

"Hey Sonya, everyone says that you hate being here in Lyrias. Why is that?" Shirayuki asked.

"I'm not particularly fond of the cold weather. Other than that I actually don't mind it here. The city is beautiful and kinda reminds me a little of Joka which is just outside of Wistal." Sonya responded.

"Oh I've been to Joka before. Zen took me there one day when we had time off. It's quite beautiful at sunset" Shirayuki commented.

"Oh yeah that's right I forgot about that" She responded. "Anyways, you two would like it here. Some of the rarest herbs only grow in this part of the country." Sonya continued.

"Isn't Lyrias known for the Olin Maris plant?" Ryuu questioned.

"You've been reading books about Lyrias haven't you" Sonya teased.

"Olin Maris? What's that?" Shirayuki questioned.

"I'll show you later. I'm sure Suzu has some growing in the greenhouse" Sonya replied. She continued to show them around town and introduced them to some of the friends she made from her previous trips here.

"Hey Sonya, do you think Zen and the others will come visit us while we're here?" Shirayuki asked.

"Knowing how Prince Charming can't seem to stand being away from his princess…it's possible" She responded. "Why did you ask? Do you already miss Zen?" She then asked.

"Well yeah, but it just seems like a place Zen would enjoy visiting" Shirayuki answered.

"Yeah that is true. Zen always talked about how he wanted to see what lies beyond the Capitol. The farthest he's ever been was Laxdo." Sonya commented.

"Miss Sonya do you mind if I head back to the Pharmacy building? I would like to get some rest before work" Ryuu requested.

"Sure Ryuu, let me just have one of the guards take you so you don't get lost" Sonya responded. She motioned for a guard to approach and requested that he escort Little Ryuu back to the Pharmacy Building. Sonya and Shirayuki continued to explore.

"This part of the city alone has so many bars. Obi would feel as if he was in heaven here" Shirayuki joked.

"Yeah, with the way he drinks I'm surprised he still has a functioning liver" Sonya commented.

"Was Obi always a heavy drinker?" Shirayuki inquired.

"Well granted he knows his limits, but I remember when we used to travel together, every time we came across a new town or city. The first place we would go to was the bar." She told her. Sonya expected talking about Obi would be difficult, but to her surprise the subject of him didn't bother her at all.

"If you don't mind me asking Sonya. How close were you and Obi before you both started working at the castle?" Shirayuki

"To be honest I only knew Obi for a little less than a year before I left Tanbarun and came to Clarines. We were friends, but mostly I was just around to treat his injuries. Six months ago was the first time I had seen him in over eight years. So I don't know if you would consider that close." Sonya told her. Now the subject of him seemed to get to her.

"I was just curious. Obi seems to put you on more of a pedestal than Zen does. He never says a bad thing about you. In fact when he found out you were coming here to Lyrias with me and Ryuu, he began acting strange. It was almost as if he didn't want you to go" Shirayuki explained. Sonya knew she was right. Part of her actually hoped that Obi would be stubborn and disobey her wishes and actually come to Lyrias. The other part of her knew that Obi would do anything to make her happy and stay in Clarines like she told him to. However, she knew she was being selfish and Shirayuki and Ryuu probably wanted to see him to. Later that night after the three decided to get some rest for the night Sonya sat at her desk and wrote a little report to Zen.

 _Zen,_

 _The three of us arrived in Lyrias this morning without any issues. Not so surprising that it's_

 _Already freezing here even though it's not win_ _ **t**_ _er y_ _ **e**_ _t. Anyways I'_ _ **ll**_ _get to the part y_ _ **o**_ _u actually care a_ _ **b**_ _out. Sh_ _ **i**_ _rayuki seems to love it_ _ **he**_ _re so far. I took her and Ryuu on a little tour of the_ _ **c**_ _ity and introduced them to some friends of mine so this w_ _ **a**_ _y they do_ _ **n**_ _'t feel so out of place here. Shirayuki actually suggested that you should_ _ **come**_ _and experience Lyrias for yourself. Which honestly isn't a bad idea. Granted it is pretty ob_ _ **vi**_ _ou_ _ **s**_ _that she m_ _ **i**_ _sses you. Bu_ _ **t**_ _I'm sure you're dy_ _ **i**_ _ng to get out o_ _ **f**_ _t_ _ **he**_ _Castle and see_ _ **w**_ _h_ _ **a**_ _t's beyo_ _ **n**_ _d_ _ **t**_ _he wall_ _ **s**_ _. Anyways say hello to everyone for me. I'll make sure Shirayuki writes to you as well._

 _Love,_

 _Sonya_

She gave it to a messenger to send to Wistal Castle and then went to sleep. Meanwhile a few days later the letter arrived at the castle. A messenger entered Zen's office with the letter on a silver tray.

"Sorry to bother you Your Highness, but this just came for you from Lyrias. The one who delivered it said it's from Miss Sonya" he informed the young prince.

"Thank you" Zen responded as he took the letter. The messenger bowed before taking his leave.

"From Sonya? I don't think she wrote to us so soon the last time she was in Lyrias. I wonder that happened?" Kiki questioned. Zen opened the letter and read it. He smiled at the mention of Shirayuki and completely missed the hidden message within the letter.

"It's nothing, she was just telling me how Shirayuki was doing. Here look for yourself" He said as he handed the note over to Kiki to read. She took a glance at it and noticed there was something odd about how Sonya wrote the letter.

"Is it me or are some of these characters more emphasized than the others" Kiki questioned. Both Zen and Mitsuhide looked at her confused.

"Let me see" Mitsuhide requested as he took the letter from Kiki and looked at it himself. "Yeah she's right. I think it's some type of hidden message" he continued when he noticed what she was talking about. Zen summoned Obi so he could see for himself. Obi entered through the balcony since he was outside in a nearby tree.

"What's up Master" Obi greeted.

"Sonya sent us a letter from Lyrias" Zen told him.

"Really? So soon? That's not like Miss Sonya at all" Obi commented.

"She even has a message especially for you Obi" Zen mentioned as he handed him the letter for him to read.

"Wow this is the weirdest letter I've ever read" Obi commented as he looked at it.

"Do you see the message?" Zen asked.

"No not really" he responded.

"It says "Tell Obi he can come visit if he wants"" Kiki informed him. Obi looked up confused.

"I don't understand. She was pretty adamant about me not following her to Lyrias. I wonder what changed her mind?" Obi questioned. Mitsuhide shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Who knows, Sonya's quite unpredictable" Zen commented in response.

"You want to go, don't you?" Kiki questioned.

"It would be nice to see the Little Miss and Half Pint, but I think I'll stay here for now. If I know Sonya. She's just testing me to see if I'll actually go. The last thing I want is for her to be mad at me for not respecting her wishes." Obi stated. "She begged me not to follow her up there saying it would destroy what little confidence she has in protecting those two. She's insecure enough as it is." Obi said as he walked back out onto the balcony.

"You have feelings for her don't you Obi?" Zen questioned.

"I wonder" was the last thing his said before jumping off the balcony and onto the ground.


	25. Chapter 25

Obi didn't get much sleep that night. Zen told Obi that if he wanted to. He could leave the castle. Despite having castle leave, Obi didn't go very far. He stayed in the forest area that's just beyond the castle walls. While out and about, Obi ran into one of Sonya's friends, Lileigh.

"Hey Obi. I'm surprised to see you out here by yourself" Lileigh greeted.

"Master gave me castle leave" Obi commented.

"Where's your partner at?" He then asked

"Kilik is doing a solo job so I'm just laying low for now"

"Hey, can I ask you something about Sonya?" Obi asked.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" Lileigh asked in response.

" what was she like as an assassin? Everyone seems to put her on a pedestal. Master doesn't even seem to worry when she's off on dangerous missions. Meanwhile I can't help but wonder if she's okay" Obi went on.

"Oh I see what this is about. I don't blame you for worrying" Lileigh commented. "Let me ask you something. Do you know who Sairen Shu is?" She then asked.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with Sonya?" Obi asked in response.

"I'll explain in a minute just answer the question" She replied.

"I only know of Sairen, she's known for her skills in infiltration and the fact that she among the strongest in her organization" Obi commented.

"Okay what I'm about to tell you is top secret so you can't tell anyone I told you this okay?" Lileigh told him.

"Yeah sure" obi responded.

"Sairen Shu is actually Sonya's alias" Lileigh confessed. Obi's eyes went wide with shock.

"Yeah I had the same reaction when I found out" she commented.

"How did you find out?" He questioned.

"We ran into her on a job after she went off on her own. At the time I didn't know and I fought her pinning her down. I heard stories and wanted to know the person behind the mask. So I when I had her pinned down I removed the mask and was surprised to see it was Sonya the whole time" She explained. "It's funny, I'm the one that trained Sonya, yet she's so much more skilled than I am" she continued.

"Yeah I agree, there are times where she amazes me at how skilled she is. When Shirayuki was kidnapped she had everything calculated down to the second. It was almost a relief having her analytical skills on our side." He stated.

"Then when she took off on her own you panicked. I guess part of you figured that a girl like Sonya could be quite valuable to the Claw. She pretty and smart, a highly skilled assassin and herbalist" She commented.

"You know sometimes I wonder if that incident never happened or if our paths never crossed. Would she still be the same person today?" He questioned.

"You feel guilty don't you?" She questioned in response.

"Kinda, I mean she was just an herbalist when I met her. If I never took her on that job she would have never seen me get injured and feel the need to become an assassin" He told her.

"Obi if you think about it, you actually saved her. Sonya's parents made some shady business deals that put them in debt. When they couldn't afford to pay off their debt her father thought about selling Sonya for labor as a form of payment. That's actually why she was kidnapped. When you rescued her and she traveled with you to those tournaments. Her parents were out of options and they were killed for their failure to make their payment" Lileigh explained.

"Her parents have been dead this whole time? Sonya told me that they went off on some journey to find some rare herb" Obi mentioned. Lileigh shook her head.

"Nope, she made that up so you wouldn't worry about her" She told him.

"Does she not trust me or something? She never tells me the truth unless I beg for it" he questioned.

"It's not that she doesn't trust you. Sonya trusts you with her life there's no doubt about it. She even says the safest she feels is when she's with you. She just doesn't want you to worry about her." She responded.

"Sonya told me that she didn't want me to follow her to Lyrias cause she claimed that she feels that she feels that she lost her confidence and independence. Was that a lie as well?" he continued to question. Lileigh shrugged her shoulders in response.

"The confidence part I believe. Ever since she became Prince Izana's aide, her self-esteem went down the drain. She's so worried about her own image because she believes it reflects on Izana as a Prince. She's become so insecure to the point where she can glance into a mirror and have immediate anxiety." She told him.

"Is that why she always hates getting dressed up? She always complains every time she has to put on a gown. I never understood why cause she always looks beautiful in them." he commented.

"It's funny back then Sonya would love getting dressed up for an infiltration mission." She mentioned. "She would wear these gowns that hugged her curves and high heels that would make her legs stand out. It would attract so much attention from the guys" She continued. Hearing this made Obi feel jealous. Lileigh giggled at his reaction.

"You really do care about her don't you?" She questionably teased. She then place her hand on his shoulder. "Honestly if Sonya were to end up with anyone I hope it's you. You treat her much better than Sakaki ever did." She then commented. Obi then stood up and dusted himself off.

"Thanks Miss Lileigh, I'm glad I ran into you out here" He commented with a smirk.

"No prob. It actually felt nice just sitting and talking. It's rare to get an opportunity like that, especially as an assassin" She noted. "I have to go now. When you see Sonya, say hi for me" She requested before taking off. Obi chuckled at her request and decided to go drink at the bar down in the port. He remembered how he used to take Sonya to the bars in each town they visited. She would complain about it not being for her and how she felt uncomfortable being here. That was until she started working at Wistal Castle. She told Obi that the stress of her job was what caused her to start drinking. Fortunately she never turned into an alcoholic. He sat at the bar and for some reason being there made him feel slightly lonely even though he often goes drinking alone. He figured because the only person he would be returning to was his master. He pulled the note that Sonya had wrote to Zen out of his pocket and looked over it as he drank his liquor.

"Sometimes I don't understand you. You beg me not to follow you to Lyrias and yet you write a letter to Master telling me to visit" he mumbled as he took a sip from his glass. "I can't tell if you're serious or if you're just testing me" he continued. "I know you, If I show up to Lyrias. You'll just get mad at me" he said as he gulped down the last of his liquor.


	26. Chapter 26

Months later the inspections were near completion. Zen noticed Obi had been quite out of it most of time. He asked to speak to him privately on the ship to figure out what was going on. Zen figured this had to do with Sonya being in Lyrias.

"You have feelings for Sonya don't you?" Zen asked straight to the point. Obi was a little surprised by this even though he asked the same question before. Last time he answered with his typical I wonder response, but this time he figured that it was best to be honest with his Master.

"Yes I like her" He responded. Zen was surprised that Obi actually gave him an actual answer. However, he knew for a fact that Obi didn't just like Sonya. The way he was behaving, he was in love with her.

"It's more than that isn't it? Sonya told me awhile ago that she was surprised to still see you working in the castle and how you like to nimbly go with the flow. So tell me, is Sonya what's keeping you in the castle?" His master questioned. Obi was silent. That basically confirmed his theory. "If you want to go to Lyrias it's fine. I won't stop you. In fact I'm surprised you haven't left already" Zen told him.

"She doesn't want me to go. I know her, the second I show up in Lyrias, she'll just be mad at me" Obi responded.

"Obi I also know Sonya. She wouldn't send a message like that if she didn't want you to go to Lyrias. I'll admit, she has moments where she's stubborn, but she means well. At first she begged me not to send you. However, she's clearly had a change of heart. Personally I don't understand why myself." Zen mentioned.

"She sure has changed since I first met her. I'm not sure how I feel about it. When I met her, I had just finished a job and my right arm was badly injured. I was leaning up on a tree trying to lay low and then she approached me. She told me she was an herbalist and asked to look at my arm. At first I refused, but she insisted." Obi told his master.

"She definitely sounds like Shirayuki" Zen commented.

"Yeah I think that's what drew me to the Miss in the first place. They almost share the same personality. It's as if they were twins separated at birth" Obi commented with a slight chuckle.

"It's actually weird not having those two in the castle. Granted, this isn't the first time Sonya has been away for such a long time. However, for some reason I always feel a little lonely without her" Zen mentioned.

"Master, I thought you loved Mistress" Obi commented.

"I do. It's just that...I've always looked up to Sonya as an older sister. I went to her every time I had an issue with my brother or if I needed advice in general plus she never really gave me special treatment because I was a prince. In fact, the only time she would refer to me by my title was in the presence of Izana or other high ranked officials." Zen mentioned. "Anyways you should go to Lyrias. I think it would be good for you and Sonya. Plus if anything happens, it would benefit Sonya to have a knight she can trust close by" he then stated with a smirk. Obi was confused by this.

"Knight? but Master I thought I was just your messenger?" Obi questioned confused.

"Well you'll still be relaying messages but from now on you're my immediate knight" Zen declared. "After all you protect others as if you are one" he then commented. This made Obi remember something Sonya told him previously.

"I know. You're more like a knight in my opinion "Sonya said with a smile. Obi was taken back by that.

"You...You think of me as a knight? " He questioned still surprised by her statement. She nodded her head.

"Of course. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you always being there to protect me" She told him.

"I guess you have a point Master, but I would like to postpone my trip" Obi requested. "It's nothing personal I just don't want to go at the moment" he continued as he explained his reasoning.

"Fine then, just let me know when you want to end your postponement" Zen told him. Obi nodded then walked away. Meanwhile back in Lyrias Sonya, Shirayuki, and Ryuu sat down at a cafe for dinner.

"It seems as if Obi isn't coming" Ryuu commented. "I really thought he would too" he added.

"Ah well he is Zen's aide too after all" Sonya commented in response.

"True. You do have a point" Ryuu noted. "Though he tends to appear when you least expect him to so who knows" he continued.

"Yeah that's true. Sometimes Mitsuhide too when he looks for him" Shirayuki chimed in. Sonya giggled just thinking about it. "What do you think Sonya? You think Obi will come to Lyrias?" Shirayuki then asked. Sonya shrugged her shoulders.

"It's possible, but I think he's busy at the moment. Izana dumped a bunch of work on Zen so he could use all the help he could get" Sonya mentioned.

"It gets pretty lonely without him" Ryuu admitted.

"Little Ryuu are you trying to tell us that you miss Obi?" Sonya questionably teased causing Ryuu to blush in embarrassment. Both Sonya and Shirayuki giggled in response. "It's okay, I think all of us kinda miss him" she then commented.

"Especially since you're in love with him Miss Sonya" Ryuu noted causing Sonya to do a spit take of her wine.

"I'm sorry what?" She squealed.

"Am I wrong? That's what I overheard your friends say" Ryuu questioned.

"No, I have no romantic feelings towards Obi" Sonya clarified. She then excused herself from the table saying she had some work to take care of. However, she went to the fort to the knights training grounds and swung her sword around. She did this for quite a while before taking a break. She plunged her sword into the ground and took a deep breath.

"Obi I know I told you I didn't want you to come to Lyrias. But, now I don't know if I have the strength to do this without you" she uttered with tears threatening to fall. "We've been apart for 8 years previously and I handled that rather well. However, this time it's only been a few months and I feel myself emotionally falling apart" she continued. "I wish you were here so you can tell me that everything's gonna be okay and that I'm just overreacting" she went on as she sobbed. She eventually decided to call it a night and go to bed hoping soon Obi would visit.


	27. Chapter 27

Two weeks later Obi decided to end his postponement and go to Lyrias. It took quite some time but he eventually reached the Northern Fort just outside of Lyrias. It was late at night so he walked down Pavilion street where all the shops and stalls were located. He came across a shop that sold masks and decided to buy one so he can surprise the three people he came to see. It was late at night so he knew they would be sleeping. For now he had to go back to the fort for the night.

The next day Obi got up and went to the Pharmacy building to surprise his friends. The only one he could find was Ryuu in his room. Obi wore the mask and stood outside Ryuu's window. When he woke up and looked out the window he was quite frightened at the sight. Hearing him scream Shirayuki entered the room to check up on him. Obi disappeared from the window. When the two headed out they saw him sitting on the steps of the building.

"Half Pint did you remember to close your window?" He questioned. At first the two didn't recognize him until they heard that familiar nickname. There was only one person that called Ryuu half pint.

"OBI?!" They both shouted surprised to see him. Obi chuckled as he stood up and removed his mask.

"Sorry for giving you a fright half pint" he commented giving the two a smile.

"It's okay Shirayuki kinda frightened me too when she came in the room" Ryuu responded.

"Where did you get that mask from?" Shirayuki questioned.

"I bought it from Pavilion street last night. I used one to wake up Master and this one happened to look really cool" He told them.

"When did you get here?" Shirayuki then asked.

"Late last night. I'm here because Master has given me a job to do" Obi mentioned. "So anyways, where's Miss Sonya? I thought she would be here with you two since she's your guardian" he then asked. Both of them shrugged her shoulders. Just then a guard approached the three.

"Miss Shirayuki, Ryuu, I hope it's okay but Miss Sonya asked me to be your guard while she's tending to important matters for the time being" the guard mentioned.

"Oh Shikito I had no idea you were in Lyrias too" Shirayuki commented

"Yeah I arrived last week. I'm only here temporarily" Shikio responded.

"They probably picked you since everyone knows that you're Sonya's favorite guard" Ryuu commented.

"So Shikito where is she anyways?" Obi asked figuring he would know.

"She's somewhere on scholar street. She's conducting an investigation on the Olin Maris disease breakout with one of the pharmacist's, Shidan" Shikito explained. "By the way Obi I heard about your promotion. Congratulations on being knighted." He added. Both Shirayuki and Ryuu were confused by this.

"Obi what is he talking about?" Shirayuki inquired.

"Oh I forgot to mention. A while back Master made me his immediate knight" Obi announced.

"Well Congratulations Obi. You deserve it" Shirayuki said with a smile.

"Yeah I agree" Ryuu chimed in.

"Thanks. Well I'm gonna find Miss Sonya so I can tell her the news in person" Obi said before taking off. Since Obi had never been to Lyrias before, it took him a while to find Scholar Street. Once he found the area, he kept an eye out for Sonya. As he made his way down the street he saw the brown haired girl he cared so much about walking up ahead towards him carrying a box filled with books. She was with a guy whom Obi assumed was Shidan. Obi tried staying out of sight and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"So when are you finally going to court Garrack?" Sonya inquired.

"I already told you, when I have a better job" Shidan answered slightly annoyed.

"Shidan, you've been offered a position in the court multiple times and you've rejected them every time." She noted.

"That's because I want something better than what they're offering. I can't court Garrack if I'm just a royal pharmacist" he explained.

"Honestly, you're so hopeless. If you think that all a woman cares about is the type of job a man has then you're gonna be single for the rest of your life" She commented annoyed with him.

"Hey! It has nothing to do with that! Plus you shouldn't be talking Sonya. You told me once that you would never date an assassin!" He shouted. Hearing this made Obi's heart sting a little. He continued to watch them as they walked passed him.

"That's different Shidan. It has nothing to do with status. It's painful, loving someone who doesn't care about their own well-being just ends in heartache. Then again I'm just being selfish as usual" Sonya explained with her voice getting soft. Yet again Obi felt a sting in his heart. This time it was from guilt.

"That doesn't stop you from loving them does it?" He asked. Sonya shook her head.

"No. In fact trying to keep myself from loving him only made me love him even more" She noted. Now Obi felt his heart beat faster. Though he wasn't sure if she was referring to him, but part of him hoped she was.

"So I guess we both have issues with love" Shidan commented with a sigh.

"Yeah, feel like going to the bar now. Wanna join me?" She invited.

"No, i'm good. I'm just going to get a head start on this work" he replied. "Here I'll take the box back to the pharmacy building for you" he continued as he took the box from Sonya's grip.

"Okay, I'll see you later I guess." Sonya said before Shidan left her on Scholar Street. That's when Obi took this opportunity to approach Sonya. He snuck up on her from behind.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Obi said in a teasingly charming voice. This startled Sonya. She turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of the guy in front of her.

"O-Obi?" She said confused. He nodded his head with a smirk. She then practically threw herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace and buried her face into his chest.

"I take it you're not mad at me?" he questioned. She shook her head in response. The wind began to pick up causing the temperature to drop a few degrees which made Sonya shiver.

"Please hold me and don't let go" She begged. Obi chuckled and held her in his arms.

"For someone who hates being cold sure likes being outside" He joked. Sonya looked up at him with a glare. He chuckled in response.

"That's not funny Obi" She told him.

"Come on you said you wanted to go to the bar so let's go" Obi said as he let her go.

"Actually I don't want to drink anymore. I have a better idea. Follow me" Sonya said as she let go of him and walked ahead. Obi followed from behind. She led him to a cliff that over looked the town. It was a beautiful sight. The stars lit up the sky and the fire in the street lights lit up the town.

"What are we doing here?" Obi asked as he went to stand at the edge to get a better view.

"I showed you my favorite place back in Wistal Castle so I thought I would show you my favorite place here" She told him as she came up to him and sat down at the edge of the cliff.

"Nice view" he commented. Sonya smiled at the comment.

"That's why it's my favorite place. It's just as beautiful during the daytime too" she noted.

"Really? Then maybe we should come back here tomorrow morning" Obi suggested.

"Obi morning for you is noon for everyone else" She commented.

"Now that's not fair. You're not exactly a morning person either" he noted. She glared at him in response. Obi apologized for the comment. Sonya then noticed the mask Obi had in his possession.

"Do I want to know why you have that?" She asked pointing to his mask.

"I arrived late last night and I figured everyone was sleeping so I walked down that street with all the shops and I saw this hanging from one of the stalls and thought it looked cool so I bought it" he stated.

"Hm. I have a mask similar to that" She mentioned.

"I bet you do...Sairen Shu" Obi commented with a sly smirk. Sonya was taken back by that. She had no idea he knew about that alias.

"H-How d-did you know?" She questioned nervously.

"Miss Lileigh told me about it. I'm surprised you kept it a secret" he responded.

"Oh I wouldn't be talking. I'm sure you have a handful of alias' I don't know about" she commented annoyed.

"touché" he replied. Sonya turned her attention back to the view and sighed.

"I really did miss you Obi. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you. I shouldn't have told you not to come. It wasn't my place to do that" She said softly without looking at him.

"It's okay. Sorry it took me a while. I wanted to wait until I was sure you wouldn't be mad at me" he told her.

"I'm not mad. In fact I'm happy to see you" She noted. "I thought I could do this without, but I slowly felt myself falling apart. I kept wishing you would come and tell me that everything was gonna be okay and that I was just overreacting" She continued.

"Everything's gonna be okay you're just overreacting" he repeated back to her. Sonya glared at him and smacked his arm.

"That's not funny Obi I was being serious!" She whined. Obi chuckled in response.

"I'm sorry I couldn't resist" He responded.

"Nice to know I basically just poured my heart out and you think it's a joke" She said annoyed with him. Now he felt guilty again.

"I'm sorry Miss Sonya" He said gently with the guilt clear in his voice.

"No it's okay. I know you mean well. I was just overreacting as usual" She said now feeling guilty herself. "So how long are you here for anyways?" She then asked.

"Well Master gave me a job to do here so I'll probably be here the whole time you're here" he replied.

"Let me guess, he wants you to be Shirayuki's guard doesn't he" she guessed.

"Pretty much" he answered.

"Yeah I figured as much. He always tells me that he trusts me to protect her and yet he still orders you to be her guard. Although on a job like this I can't exactly keep a close eye on here and Little Ryuu so I guess I should thank him this time" She stated.

"He was a bit hesitant on sending me as well, but after you sent that letter he thought it would make things easier for you. I wasn't sure it was a good idea cause I didn't want you to loss faith in yourself. I didn't want to be the reason you had no confidence" he confessed. Sonya looked at him with a softened expression although he wasn't looking at her at the moment. Sonya lifted her right hand and placed on his left cheek and guided him to look at her.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have said any of that. It wasn't my intention to make you feel bad. I know you just want to protect everyone" She told him as she still held his cheek. "I've realized that you are my confidence Obi and I can't do anything without you" she continued. Obi was taken back by this. She needed him just as much as he needed her. Without think Obi leaned in and kissed Sonya. It was similar to the kiss they shared the night before she left the castle. Before she really could react, Obi pulled away. She took her hand off his cheek and just looked at him with shock. Seeing that look made him realize what he did.

"S-Sorry I don't know what came over me" Obi told her.

"That's the second time you did that. I think your body is trying to tell you something" She noted. Obi looked at her confused. Sonya giggled in response. She got up and dusted herself off. "Anyways it's getting late. I better get back to the fort" she told him. As she walked away , she remembered something that Shikito told her about Obi. "Oh I almost forgot. Congratulations on becoming a knight. Shikito told me the news when he arrived here in Lyrias" She told him with a smile.

"Thanks, you always said I was like a knight and now I am one" he commented. Sonya giggled in response.

"Yeah I did. Now Shirayuki has both a prince and a knight protecting her" She commented with a giggle. Obi chuckled as well.

"Well don't tell Mistress but the knight cares more about you" He told her. Sonya blushed at the comment as he stood up and walked over to her.

"You always have haven't you?" She questioned looking at him in disbelief.

"I always have and I always will" He told her. Sonya continued to look at him in disbelief. She knew how much Obi cared about her just by the scars that covered his body, but hearing him put it into words like made her realize how much she really cared for him. She could feel her feelings for him get stronger and the way he looked at her with sincereness in his eyes and a gentle smile made her heart skip a beat.

"I guess it's my turn now" She uttered. Obi looked at her confused.

"What are you talki-" Obi was cut off by Sonya placing her hands on his chest and leaning up on the tips of her toes planting a kiss on his lips. She tightened her grip as she clenched the material of his coat in her hands. It took a few seconds for Obi to process what had just happened but he eventually responded. He returned the kiss and placed his hands on her waist pulling her closer to him. It was gentle and innocent yet there was still passion in it. She then let go of his coat and wrapped her arms around his neck with her fingers combing through his hair. The kiss lasted longer than the previous two. In fact the two eventually pulled apart in order to catch their breaths.

"Wow I wasn't exactly expecting that" Obi commented.

"I would say that I didn't mean to do that or my body moved on it's own. However this time it was intentional" She told him. "Think of it as my way of saying how much I missed you over that passed six months" she continued. Obi smiled in response.

"What about the eight years we were apart? Or did you only recently start feeling this way?" He questioned. Sonya shook her head.

"I'll tell you the truth. I told you about how I was in love with Sakaki and another guy right?" She questioned. Obi nodded his head. "The other guy I'm in love with is you Obi" she then confessed with her face still red and not looking at him mostly because she was afraid of his reaction. Obi was surprised. Part of him actually hoped it was him though.

"Really?" Obi questioned not sure if he heard her correctly. Sonya nodded her head still not making eye contact. "Well then there's something I need to tell you too" he mentioned. This time Sonya looked at him.

"What is it?" She questioned.

"The girl I was talking about at the ball in Tanbarun is you Miss Sonya. You own a part of me. You have since the very beginning. Like I told Torou I don't seem to mind. As long as you're happy that is" Obi confessed. "My feelings for you outweigh my feelings for the Little Miss" he continued. Sonya was taken back by this. "Shirayuki may have the prince, but you have the knight" he finished. This made Sonya emotional as tears trickled down her cheek and she sobbed in response. She leaned in giving Obi another kiss on the lips. At this moment, Sonya was at her happiest. The person she longed to see was finally here and now she has the satisfaction of knowing that she's no longer suffering from unrequited love.


	28. Chapter 28

So eventually the four returned to Wistal for Prince Izana's Coronation. It was the day Sonya dreaded for a long time. She absolutely hated social gatherings when they involved being surrounded by high class people with the exception of the Prince's. While the attendants were in uniform, Izana instructed for Sonya to attend wearing a gown. That made her hate the event even more. Because of all the trouble she had to go through in preparing for the coronation, she was the last one to show up. She wore a light purple off shoulder gown and her hair set in a low bun and a few stray strands hanging as bangs. Even though it wasn't the first time Sonya got dressed up, the group was amazed at how pretty she looked, especially Obi.

"Whoa" Obi uttered almost speechless.

"You look beautiful Sonya" Shirayuki complimented. Sonya didn't really respond, but had a look of discomfort on her face.

"Why are you wearing a gown? Shouldn't you be in uniform?" Zen asked.

"Your brother insisted. Trust me, I wish I was in uniform. I'm so uncomfortable right now" She replied.

"Well I agree with Mistress, You do look beautiful" Obi complimented giving Sonya his signature smirk.

"Thank you Obi" She responded softly. Just then Prince Raj and Sakaki joined.

"Sonya I'm surprised to see you dressed so elegantly for this occasion. You look nice" Raj commented.

"Thank you your highness" She replied.

"You look absolutely stunning m'lady" Sakaki complimented with a smile which caused Sonya to blush earning a muttered growl from Obi. It was time for the ceremony. Sonya sat up front in between Obi and Mitsuhide. She was so nervous about the ceremony that she held both their hands. It didn't exactly please Obi that she was also holding Mitsuhide's hand, but he kept quiet about it for now. The ceremony went on and Izana was officially crowed the new King of Clarines.

"Thank you everyone for coming. As you all know I mentioned in the invitation that I had an important announcement to make." He announced. "Miss Sonya Rosse, can you please come up here" he finished as he invited his aide up to the alter. She looked at him confused and he gestured for her to approach him. She let go of both their hands and stood up while smoothing out her dress. she walked up to the alter and looked at Izana still confused. "Turn and face the crowd" he whispered to her. Sonya nodded and she turned around and faced the crowd in the room. "As you all know, Sonya has been my aide for a little over seven years now. Up until her I never had an aide and for a while I even trusted her to protect my dearest little brother Prince Zen until he got his own aides. She was 16 when she started working here at the castle and I've watched her grow up into a fine young woman with a heart of gold and her desire to protect those precious to her." Hearing her newly crowned King praise her made her blush. "She has developed such analytical and leadership skills that I don't wish to go unnoticed. So I decided that Sonya has earned a promotion." He continued. Sonya was now surprised and anxious at the same time.

"Everyone as the King of Clarines I'd like to present to you the new Commander of the Royal Guard, Commander Sonya Rosse!" He announce. Sonya was stunned by this declaration. The crowd cheered in response. After the ceremony, everyone was scattered throughout the castle. Sonya went to find the King to talk to him. She found Izana in the throne room.

"Hello Your Majesty" Sonya greeted as she entered the room.

"Sonya my dear, is there something you need?" He questioned.

"I just wanted to say thank you for earlier" She told him.

"There's no need to thank me. You've earned it. I know I don't point it out but I know just how hard you work and you are a worthy leader. If there's anyone that I choose to command my soldiers it's you" he praised.

"I appreciate the compliment sir I'm honored that you feel that way" She responded.

"You should go mingle with the guests. I'm sure everyone would like to meet the commander personally" He suggested. Sonya nodded and left the room. She went to find Zen and the others. While looking for them she was approached by Sakaki.

"Congratulations on your new position Sonya. You deserve it" he told her with a smile. Sonya smiled back at him.

"Thanks can you tell how thrown off I was? I had no idea he was going to do that. I guess that explains why he wanted me in a gown" she mentioned.

"Well like I said earlier, you look stunning. The gown compliments your eyes" he commented. Sonya blushed in response.

"Y-You really think so?" Sonya stuttered. Sakaki nodded his head.

"So has Obi been treating you well?" he asked. Sonya nodded in response.

"Yes, even though I'm not royalty, he treats me like a princess" She told him.

"Good...I'm glad" he responded.

"Where's Prince Raj? How come you're not by his side?" Sonya asked.

"He went to talk to Shirayuki in private so I came to see you" he told her. "Listen I know things didn't work out between us and that's mostly because I didn't treat you as a priority and I want you to know that I fully support your relationship with Obi. I hope we can still be friends" he continued. Sonya was a little surprised by this. She then smile with a nod and gave her friend a hug.

"Of course Sakaki and I promise soon I will come visit everyone in Tanbarun as well" She told him. Sakaki returned the hug.

"I look forward to that day. Princess Rona won't stop asking about you" he mentioned. Sonya giggle in response as she let go of him.

"I'm sure she's not gonna be happy when you tell her the news" She commented.

"Yeah I'm sure as well" he responded. "By the way if you're looking for Prince Zen and the others I saw them out on the balcony just down the hall" he added figuring Sonya was looking for the young Prince.

"Oh thanks Sakaki it's almost like you can read my mind" She giggled as she walked away. Before she went to see Zen and the others she stopped by her room and changed clothes. She decided on a more casual dress and a pair of comfortable ankle boots. She also let her hair down and left it alone. She then made her way to the balcony where Zen and the others were hanging out.

"Mind if I join the party?" Sonya asked teasingly.

"Not at all. Congrats Commander" Mitsuhide said teasingly with a wink.

"Zen you did great in the ceremony. You handled everything perfectly" Sonya complimented.

"Thanks and congratulations. You know now you can basically order Lord Haruka around" Zen joked.

"Honestly that's probably the most fun I'm going to get out of this position" Sonya commented.

"You always did like torturing him" Mitsuhide noted.

"Oh come on. Half the time he deserves it." Sonya defended.

"yeah true but he's been well behaved recently" Zen noted.

"So Zen, did you know about my promotion? Cause I had no idea he was going to make an announcement like that at his own coronation." Sonya questioned.

"No, you of all people know my brother doesn't tell me anything" he responded.

"Yeah good point" she replied.

"What happened to the gown?" Obi asked.

"I took it off. I told you, it was uncomfortable and it wasn't just because of the occasion" She answered.

"But you looked so pretty in it" he noted.

"I don't care if I looked drop dead gorgeous in it. I wasn't keeping it on" She voiced.

"Well you look gorgeous in anything to be fair" Obi countered. This made Sonya's face turn as red as Shirayuki's hair. Shirayuki giggled at Sonya's reaction.

"You two are cute together" Shirayuki commented.

"So are you and Zen" She responded teasingly causing both her and Zen to blush. The others laughed in response.

"So Sonya, we're having our own little party later. You wanna join?" Mitsuhide invited. Sonya shook her head.

"Nah I'm good. I'm actually a little tired so I'm probably just gonna go to bed" She replied.

"I'll walk you to your room" Obi offered.

"That's not really necessary Obi" She told him.

"But I insist" Obi countered. Sonya sighed knowing Obi wasn't going to give up.

"Fine, I'm too tired to argue with you" Sonya said giving up. Sonya left the balcony with Obi following behind. "You know you really are persistent" she then commented.

"I just wanted to spend a little time with you." he defended. Sonya sighed again as she grabbed his hand to hold.

"Sorry I'm just not used to this yet" She mentioned. The two walked across the castle holding hands. They eventually reached Sonya's room. "Well goodnight Obi. Thanks for escorting me" she said before walking into her room leaving him in the hall. She began to shut the door but Obi stopped it with his hand midway.

"What's wrong?" She asked him confused.

"Don't you think you're forgetting something?" he asked in response. Sonya just silently looked at him confused. Obi sighed as he decided to take the initiative and he leaned for a kiss. Even though the two were together Sonya was still surprised when Obi suddenly kissed her. Sonya cupped his cheek in her hand as she kissed him back. Obi grabbed her by the waist pulling her closer to him. Sonya used her free hand to grip his shirt. They heard a noise down the hall causing the two to break apart. Sonya looked around yet there was no one in sight.

"Wow that was quite the goodnight kiss" She joked with a smile on her face.

"I can't believe you almost forgot" Obi teased.

"Again, not used to this" She defended as she blushed.

"Well get used to it cause tomorrow during break I'm taking you out to celebrate your promotion" Obi told her.

"As in…like a date?" She questioned. Obi nodded his head. Sonya then wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I'm looking forward to it then" She whispered to him.

"I love you" he whispered back to her which took her by surprise. "What's with that look?" he then asked.

"Sorry it's been awhile since I heard you say that" She replied. "I love you too by the way" she added.

Things worked out for everyone. Sonya took her place as the Commander of the Royal Guard and stayed in Wistal while Shirayuki, Ryuu, and Obi returned to Lyrias. Zen handed over his reigns on Obi to Sonya, however she told him to continue his job of being Shirayuki's guard. She also told him not to call her Master because it would be too weird since they're in a relationship. Kiki proposed to Mitsuhide and even though he turned her down the two remained close friends. Eventually Sonya did go to Tanbarun like she had promised and told the young prince and princess the news of her new title. She also took the time while in Tanbarun to visit the southern mountains where she grew up. There she stood in the spot where the pharmacy her parents owned was and also the place she once called home.

"Things have changes since I was last here. Mom and Dad I know things were rough and you made a lot of sacrifices including your own lives. I hope you're looking down on me and are proud of everything that I've accomplished. When I left Tanbarun I was just an herbalist. Then I became an assassin in order to protect the people I care about. However, I decided I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to protect an entire country. So I got a job at Wistal Castle in Clarines as a soldier. The First Prince of Clarines was so amazed by my skills he made me his aide. The Wistalia brothers treated me as part of the family and I'm forever grateful for that. Now the First Prince is King and he made me the Commander of his army. I wish you both were around to see this. You wouldn't have to struggle anymore. I can be the daughter that supports her parents so they don't have to worry about money." Sonya stated before taking a breath.

"I want you to know I'm happy now and I hope that up their you're smiling down on me and are proud of the path I've taken. I've met so many great people including the person I love so deeply. Anyways, even though it's been nine years and there's nothing here now. It feels nice coming to the place I once called home" She continued. She placed a flower on the ground. It was a flower that her mother was rather fond of and always had them placed throughout the house.

"Goodbye for now"


End file.
